


The Shadow City

by Kiki_G_Marie



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Dark Achievement City, M/M, god help us all I have no idea what I'm bloody doing, minecraft au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2017-12-16 07:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 32,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/859758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiki_G_Marie/pseuds/Kiki_G_Marie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bad Turn

“Okay, Gavin, I’ll admit it, this place is _really_ fuckin’ cool.” Michael said cheerfully, hopping out of the Nether portal and into “Dark Achievement City”, diamond sword at the ready. Gavin chuckled as he clambered out after him and quickly scanned the air for any approaching mobs.

“Thanks for finally reacting to our hours of work _one whole week_ after the reveal, Michael.” Gavin quipped, kicking at a crumbled bit of netherrack at his feet. Michael rounded on him with a fierce glare.

“Hey, take the fucking compliment, asshole.” He growled, smacking Gavin in the shoulder. The Brit yelped, laughing as he jumped back out of range of Michael’s next attack.

“When you two are done flirting…” Ray’s voice interrupted as he, too, appeared in the portal, dusting some purple residue from his clothes. “I can hear you both from the other side of this thing. Your old-married-couple bickering transcends dimensions. Congratulations.” He grinned. Michael rolled his eyes and held up his middle finger in Ray’s general direction before turning back to Gavin.

“So, Gavin, remind me why we’re here again? Cool as this place is, it’s crawling with Ghasts, Blazes, Pigmen, fire, and lots of other painful things I’d rather not deal with right now.”

“W-Well… there wasn’t a specific goal, really? Just thought we could, you know, have a look around or something…?” Gavin said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Michael groaned in response and Ray grimaced.

“Again with the pointless exploring, Gavin? Do you remember what happened last time, when your little attempt at adventuring ended up with Ryan stranded on top of a very tall tree with nothing but a cake and an iron block, and Edgar’s snout stuck in Geoff’s…”

“I remember, I remember! We do _not_ need to bring that up again, Ray!” Gavin quickly cut Ray short mid-recall, shuddering. Michael laughed and nudged Gavin with his elbow.

“Fine, as long as no cow snouts end up anywhere near me, I’m okay with a little exploring. Team Nice Dynamite, right?” he said with a grin, holding up a fist. Gavin enthusiastically bumped his fist to Michael’s, smiling just as wide.

“Team Nice Dynamite!”

“Ugh, I think I just threw up a little you guys.” Ray said, rolling his eyes and leaning against the obsidian of the portal, and was met with a pout and a glare from Gavin and Michael respectively. “Fine, I’m in too, don’t look at me like that! We’re Team Lads or whatever.” Ray held up his hands defensively. “One question though: didn’t you and Geoff build this place? What’s left to explore? I mean, you’ve probably seen enough of this fucking area to last you a lifetime…”

Gavin shuffled uneasily at the question.

“Th-There’s no harm in doing another comb-over, right? Things we might have… missed?”

“… Gavin, you are a _shit_ liar, and Ray just hit the nail on the head.” Michael said flatly, crossing his arms. “Spill, dude.” Gavin sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his recently-cut hair.

“Okay, fine. Don’t tell Geoff I told you this, but… we didn’t actually build this place.”

“… What?”

“I’m serious! We just… we just _found_ it here. A whole replica of Achievement City, but just a bit off, you know? Well, a lot off, actually, as you can see.” Gavin waved a hand around, indicating the dilapidated, dark, foreboding state of the buildings that surrounded them. “Geoff wouldn’t let me poke around in here, said it would be better not to mess with it too much. I think he was scared or something.”

“So you brought us here because you want to do some digging and figure out what the hell this place is?” Michael said, sounding more than a bit interested. Gavin looked up with a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eye.

“Exactly.”

“Well then. Color me intrigued, let’s take a look around.” Ray called, clapping his hands together in anticipation.

An hour or so later, however, Team Lads’ enthusiasm was significantly lowered.

“This whole place is empty, Gavin. Unless you count the fucking mobs.” Michael sulked, finishing off a Ghast, who’d moved too close to the city for his taste, with an arrow.

“I don’t understand how this could happen!” Gavin groaned, sitting cross-legged on the ground and wearing a deeply worried expression. “How could a whole bloody replica of Achievement City just _be here_ and be completely hollow?!”

“Well, not completely, guys.” Ray smiled, pointing at the signposts. “There’s some seriously screwed up messages on the signs lying around in here.”

“Yeah, but something’s still a bit off to me! I can’t explain it, but I think… Hold a tic, is that Ghost Ray over there?!” Gavin exclaimed, pointing across the square at a figure emerging from Jack’s house. At the noise, they turned slightly and dropped what they were carrying, hurriedly floating close enough to the trio for them to discern that they were, in fact, dealing with their blank-eyed doppelganger friend, who was looking quite solid for some reason as opposed to his usual translucence.

“Aw, hey buddy! It’s been a while! What’re you doing in the Nether?” Ray said cheerfully, raising a hand in greeting. Ghost Ray looked at his hand, then at him, and a look of sheer panic stole over his face. “Uh, buddy? What’s wrong?”

“How did you get here? _You can’t be here_!” Ghost Ray shouted. All three boys gaped at him in unison.

“Ghost Ray, you can fucking _talk_?! Why the fuck haven’t you said anything for all this…” Michael questioned, but he was cut off by a continuing stream of words from Ghost Ray.

“I don’t have time to explain! However you got here, you need to go back, now, or they’ll find you! I can’t protect you if that happens!” Ghost Ray pulled another amazing stunt when he pushed Gavin into Michael, who bumped into Ray, and in a domino effect all three of them were headed toward the Nether portal.

“You can _touch_ us too?!” Gavin squawked in disbelief.

“What? Man, wait, you aren’t making any sense. Who are you trying to protect us from? There’s nothing in here but the usual mobs…” Ray pointed out, stopping himself from entering the portal and halting the team from tumbling face-first into it.

“There’s no time, you don’t understand, you need to leave _now_ before…!”

“Before what, Ray-Ray?” a familiar voice called out from somewhere nearby. The lads looked around for the source of the voice, and Ghost Ray seemed to grow paler at the sound, stepping in front of the lads and faking a smile.

“I… I was just seeing these guys out of Achievement City! We don’t want any trespassers on the grounds, do we?” he laughed uneasily.

“Hmmm… no we don’t, Ray-Ray. But these aren’t ordinary trespassers, now are they?” the voice snickered. There was still no visible source

“Uh… th-that’s…” Ghost Ray stuttered.

“Y’know, I think Geoff would be miiiighty angry if he found out you were trying to protect these particular trespassers. But… you aren’t stupid enough to do that, are you Ray?”

“I… I uh… no, I was just…” Ghost Ray seemed to be struggling for an excuse, and in the meantime his eyes kept shifting over to Ray, silently pleading with him to make his way back to the portal. Ray took a couple shuffling steps backward as the voice continued, tugging on Gavin’s sleeve to get him to do the same.

“Of course not. So why don’t you be a good boy and step away from the portal with your little trespassing friends, hmm?”

Michael finally decided he’d had enough of being confused and stepped forward, though Gavin tried to grab his arm and pull him back, quietly hissing “Michael, _don’t_ ” as he did so.

“Hey, asshole, if you’re going to be accusing us of shit why don’t you show us your fucking face?” he snapped. There was a chuckle and an icy draft, when suddenly Michael was face to face with…

His own face.

Like Ghost Ray, his eyes were blank, his skin paler, his features and clothing darker, but there was no mistake.

Michael was looking at himself.

“You use some really bad words, ‘Michael’. It’s not very attractive.” Other Michael tutted, a pout decorating his face. “And it’s also rude. You come into our city and you start insulting us immediately? If I did something like that on your side, Geoff would punish me.”

“… What the fuck are you talking about? Who the hell are you?!” Michael managed, blanching as he stared. Other Michael smiled wide, but it failed to comfort anyone present.

“I’m you, silly.” He chirped, clamping a hand down on Michael’s shoulder. It felt cold, way too cold, like a clammy, dead _thing_ , and it made Michael shiver. “Or, you know, a better you.”

“Better? What part of your whole sickly sweet axe murderer act is better than me, asshole?” Michael snapped, against his better judgment. The grip on his shoulder tightened astronomically, and he yelped more in surprise than pain.

“You. Are. So. Very. Rude. Michael.” Other Michael said through grit teeth. “You’re going to make me angry. Ray-Ray here can tell you how bad it is when I get angry.” Ghost Ray was trembling, looking between the two with a look of dread on his face.

“Please don’t hurt him!” Ghost Ray pleaded, but he was ignored as Other Michael drew closer to his captive other self.

“Listen here, ‘Michael’. I’m better than you because I’m stronger than you. I’m faster than you. I’m smarter than you. I have certain… powers… that you don’t have.” Other Michael snarled, friendly pretense gone. “And I don’t have your dirty mouth or your bad attitude. I think it’s safe to say I’m the better model.”

“F-Fuck you!” Michael yelled, swatting away Other Michael’s hand and brandishing his diamond sword in his face. Other Michael giggled darkly and tilted his head to the side, running a fingertip down the sharp edge of the sword.

“Oh I’m sooo scared. Little Michael Jones is going to totally mess me up. Except he won’t. Because he’s a coward, and we both know it.”

“You don’t know _shit_ about me, you stupid fuck!” Michael growled, bringing the sword tip closer to Other Michael’s face.

“Michael, that’s _enough_! He’s trying to provoke you, you idiot!” Gavin shouted from behind him, causing Michael’s head to clear of the haze his rage had built up. He looked back at Gavin, who was glaring at him indignantly, and smiled weakly.

“Y-Yeah… yeah, you’re right, Gavin, I should…”

“Oooh, hi ‘Gavin’.” Other Michael interrupted, waggling his fingers at the British boy before turning back to Michael and whispering. “Cute little lovestruck look you’re giving your boy there, Michael. Have you screwed him yet? If not, I might just take advantage of having your face…”

“Shut the _fuck_ up!” Michael snarled, all his anger coming back in a sharp burst as he swiped his sword across Other Michael’s neck. The copy didn’t even flinch, and rather than blood, a thick, billowing black smoke began leaking from the open wound.

“Oh, _fuck_.” Ghost Ray shouted, grabbing Michael’s arm and pulling him away as the smoke continued pouring out from Other Michael’s neck. The doppelganger, for his part, was wearing the creepiest fucking grin Michael had ever seen in his life. “Don’t touch the smoke, get in the portal, go!” Ghost Ray pushed a dumbfounded Michael toward the Nether portal, where Gavin and Ray were already about to jump in.

“What the fuck is that?!” Michael finally managed, and Ghost Ray gave him an exasperated look.

“Does it _really_ look like I have the time to explain right now Michael? Just go!” Ghost Ray gave him a final push towards the portal, and Michael was immediately pulled in by Gavin and Ray.

“God, why does this thing have to be so fucking _slow_?!” Ray snapped, kicking the obsidian block immediately to his right as though it would speed up the process of trans-dimensional travel.

“Why the hell would you do that, you sausage!? That was the dumbest stunt I have _ever_ seen you pull!” Gavin yelled at Michael, bow at the ready as the air around them started to ripple.

“Not important, okay Gav? Let’s just get the fuck out…” Michael felt a sudden chill to his right and snapped his head around to see a tendril of black smoke had entered the portal space, and was aiming right for him.

And it would have hit him too, if Gavin hadn’t thrown himself in front of it in that split second.

Michael watched in shock as the thing wrapped itself around Gavin’s neck and dragged him, kicking and screaming, out of the portal’s range.

“ _MICHAEL_!” Gavin choked out, struggling against the binding at his neck and reaching out toward him.

“Shit, GAVIN!” Michael reached for Gavin’s outstretched hand but just barely missed as he was dragged further away by the black smoke that was materializing into an ashen hand. Michael tried to step out of the portal and go after him, but the pull was already too strong and he couldn’t move.

So he could only watch as his own face once again appeared in front of him, Other Michael’s hand grasping Gavin’s throat and the other, still materializing, holding his arms together behind his back.

“You’ll be back, Michael. I’ve got your boy.” Other Michael cackled, grinning maniacally. “See you soon!”

And the next thing Michael knew, he was tumbling headfirst onto the green lawn of Achievement City. He lay there for a moment in shock, before getting back up and turning to throw himself back into the Nether Portal. Arms came up from behind and restrained him, holding him back from his purpose.

“Ray what the FUCK, let me go! I need to get back over there!” Michael began to struggle against Ray’s hold, but Ray was having none of it.

“Michael, you can’t go back in there! We don’t know what the fuck that thing is, we don’t know what it could do to us…!” Ray grunted, keeping his hold firm. Michael began thrashing, trying his damnedest to get away from him.

“I don’t fucking CARE, Ray, Gavin is… Gavin is… he…” the reality of what just happened hit Michael in a tidal wave, and his knees gave out, causing him to go limp in Ray’s hold and sink to the ground. “F-Fuck…”

“… Michael…” Ray said softly, letting go and kneeling down beside him.

“FUCK!” Michael screamed, covering his eyes for a moment and shaking his head violently. “Wh-Why hasn’t he come through yet? He fought that bastard off, right? Why isn’t he on our side yet?! He should be here by now!”

“Michael, I don’t think Gavin is gonna be coming back on his own …” Ray suggested quietly.

Michael felt numb. He stared at the portal in disbelief, digging his nails into the ground at his knees.

“Bullshit… that can’t happen, Gavin’s gotta…”

“Michael, Gav’s been _captured_ , okay? There was nothing we could do, and it happened. I need you to get that in your head, okay? It happened. Past tense. It’s done.” Ray said in a clipped voice, leveling Michael with a sobering glare. Michael looked up at him with a blank stare, as though he were half asleep.

“…Okay. Okay yeah, Gavin… Gavin was captured. I understand.” Michael took a deep breath, exhaling shakily and trying to calm himself down.

“… Good.” Ray sighed and grabbed Michael’s arm, pulling him to his feet and dragging him away from the portal. “C’mon, man, pull yourself together. We can’t come up with a plan to save Gavin if you go all catatonic on me.”

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to tell Geoff, Jack, and Ryan what we know, and decide what the fuck to do. We’re getting Gavin back. No matter what.”


	2. What Can We Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Figuring out what the hell to do. Things aren't looking good.

“… So if I’m hearing you right, you three idiots went to Dark Achievement City, completely disobeying my rule of _not poking around in there_ , found Ghost Ray and a fucking creepy-ass copy of Michael, whose throat got fucking sliced by _our_ Michael, which led to him becoming some sort of smoky tentacle monster _thing_ , and at the end of all this, Gavin got his ass captured and you two barely escaped with your skin still on your body.” Geoff gritted out, thumb and forefinger holding the bridge of his nose.

Michael and Ray shifted uncomfortably on their feet. They’d known that breaking the news to their boss wasn’t going to be easy, but _damn_. They had _not_ expected him to get this angry. It wasn’t outwardly apparent, but Geoff was seriously pissed the fuck off. Killing intent was rolling off of him in waves, and his free hand seemed to be twitching slightly beside the diamond pickaxe at his waist.

Michael was just glad that his anger was more directed towards whatever had taken Gavin than towards them.

“Th-That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Ray finally managed to say. Geoff sighed deeply, his hand dropping from his face as he crossed his arms. He still hadn’t looked up at them.

“Are you all completely brain-dead?!” Jack exclaimed in Geoff’s stead, moving forward from his position leaning against the bulletin board. “There was a specific rule in place _not_ to go to Dark Achievement City with less than all six of us, for this _exact_ reason!”

“We _know_ that, Jack! There was a rule, and we broke it, and now Gavin is fucking paying for it!” Michael exploded. “That’s not the fucking point! The point is we have to get Gavin back!”

“… And how the fuck do you expect us to do that?” Ryan asked calmly from his seat atop a chest.

“What do you mean how the fuck… we can’t just _leave_ him there! We don’t know what that thing is capable of!” Michael was getting angrier and angrier. Were they listening at all? Why weren’t they _doing_ anything?

“Which is the reason that we can’t go rescue Gavin right now, Michael. We don’t know a damn thing about whatever is holding him, and we can’t charge in there blind.” Ryan said, still bizarrely calm. Michael felt like he was going to pop a blood vessel from sheer frustration.

“Every second that we fucking sit here with our thumbs in our asses is another second Gavin is spending with that _thing_ , and you’re moaning and groaning about not having the right _INTEL_?!” Michael yelled, moving towards Ryan threateningly.

“Okay, Michael, because you seem to not understand the situation we are in, let me give you a rundown.” Geoff finally spoke, eyes snapping up to glare at Michael as he advanced forward and up into his space. “Gavin has been captured by this _thing_ , that seems to have the ability to become invisible, float, _and_ to turn its body into invulnerable smoke that can materialize as a body again and grab hold of people and things. Presumably, there are more of them, since it fucking mentioned another me and we can assume Ghost Ray is the same as they are. Slitting their throats, as you so _helpfully_ found out for us, only seems to quicken the process and make them fucking _stronger_.” Geoff shoved Michael’s shoulder, causing him to stumble back, shock apparent on his face. “And here’s the last thing: repeat for me again the _last words_ your fucking copy said to you before your dumb ass got pulled back here.”

“… _‘You’ll be back, Michael. I’ve got your boy. See you soon.’_ ” Michael murmured, looking at the ground. Geoff clenched his jaw.

“ _They’re fucking expecting us to go and rescue Gavin_. Now I ask you, Michael, do you _really_ think, with all that working against us and _no_ knowledge of any weakness those fuckers have, that we are going to succeed in getting Gavin back as we are now?”

“… No, sir.” Michael mumbled, not looking up as he felt his eyes start to sting. He felt stupid and humiliated. He wasn’t going to let himself fucking cry over this, though, not now, not _ever_. Gavin was in fucking danger and Michael wasn’t about to start fucking crying when he needed to have a clear head.

Geoff sighed and Michael looked up to see him run a hand over his face. He looked drained, and completely fucking distraught.

“You aren’t the only one worried about Gavin, Michael.” Geoff said quietly, after a pause. “All of us are. But that’s exactly why we need a better plan than charging in waving our fucking swords. If we do that, not only will we be beaten, we could lose someone else. And frankly, I don’t think I could fucking take that.” Geoff’s voice sounded choked, like he was struggling not to let it crack. Michael swallowed the lump in his throat and was about to respond when he was interrupted.

“… Then what the fuck can we do? We can’t send someone to go scouting in there, we can’t gather intel, we can’t go charging in, and we sure as hell can’t fucking _sit here_!” Ray burst out. He’d been silent through everything, but apparently wasn’t as cool and collected as he’d appeared earlier. “We’re sitting ducks! We’ve got fucking _nothing_!” he let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh, running a hand through his hair.

“Well… not _nothing_. You’ve got me.”

Ray jumped and turned looking for the source of the voice. Floating behind him was Ghost Ray, clutching his face and his side, looking pretty damn beat up and properly transparent once again.

“How the _fuck_ …” Ray began, eyes wide with shock.

“I’m… I’m sorry, I wasn’t strong enough to fight Michael… _Other_ Michael… and get Gavin back.” Ghost Ray interrupted, speaking quickly. “But if I can help you, in any way, I’ll do it.”

“Why should we fucking trust _you_? You’re just like that other Michael aren’t you?” Michael snarled, getting over his shock quickly. Ghost Ray sighed and shook his head sadly.

“Michael, I’ve been hanging around you guys for months. If I really wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would have done it by now? Do you think I would have gotten you and Ray out of there as quickly as possible?” he said quietly. Michael unclenched his fists and thought about it.

“I-I guess… you have a point…” he said lamely. Ray moved tentatively toward Ghost Ray and reached a hand out to inspect the blossoming bruise on the side of his face.

“What happened after we left, man? That looks brutal…” Ray asked quietly. He didn’t seem surprised when his hand slipped through Ghost Ray’s body as normal, only readjusted his hand’s position so it at least looked like he was touching his transparent double instead of sticking his arm through his face.

“… I tried to fight Other Michael to help Gavin and lost. Horribly.” Ghost Ray gave a humorless laugh, shying away from Ray’s hand. “I’m not a strong fighter, and Michael’s the best out of all of us.”

“… ‘All of us’?” Geoff repeated. They all knew how this question was going to pan out, but a tense silence descended over the Hunters nonetheless.

“There are six of us in all. A copy of each Achievement Hunter.” Ghost Ray said softly, confirming what they all had already thought.

“What the hell _are_ you?” Jack asked, not in an accusing tone but in a truly inquisitive one.

“… Your Shadows.”

—————————————————————————————————————

Gavin had been in his fair share of bad situations. It sort of came with the territory of being the group goofball, the whole getting into trouble thing. He could hold his own in a fight, of course, he wasn’t completely useless, but more often than not it was Michael or Geoff or one of the other Hunters who got him out of the messes he got himself into, whether it was a family of creepers or a flooding tunnel. Usually it was Michael who saved his ass, though, and he would get yelled at and called an idiot for pulling dumb stunts. Gavin had learned to translate that as ‘I’m so glad you’re okay, don’t scare me like that again’.

His body had moved on its own, really. It had been a knee-jerk reaction. He couldn’t let whatever the hell this thing was take Michael. Not his Michael.

It had been stupid, true, but at least it had worked. Michael was safe. That was the important thing. Gavin himself would be fine.

At least, that’s what was running through his head as he was thrown violently to the floor inside the replica of Geoff’s house, his head making a cracking noise against the stone brick.

“Ow, _Jesus_ , watch it!” he snapped, sitting up. His hands were tied pretty securely behind his back, so he’d had no way of breaking his fall. A high-pitched giggle erupted from his captor.

“Sorry, Gavvy, that must’ve hurt, huh?” Other Michael tittered. The guy was psychotically happy, and it was freaking Gavin out immeasurably to see that look on Michael’s face. “You’d better get used to it, what’s going to happen to you after this is probably going to hurt a _lot_ more.”

“Piss off.” Gavin retorted. He could feel blood dripping down the side of his face, but he chose not to dwell on it. This was no time to panic over small injuries.

“Hey, don’t be mad! I’m just giving you a fair warning!” Other Michael pouted, bending down to grab the collar of Gavin’s shirt and pull him up. “And don’t say any more bad words, or I’ll have to reenact what I did to Ray-Ray on _you_.”

Gavin clammed up at that, as he was thrown yet again flat on his back. Watching Ghost Ray get beaten to a pulp had been an excruciating experience. Gavin had eventually yelled at him to run for it, figuring there was no way he was going to win, and Ghost Ray had. He hoped he’d found Michael and the others…

“Well, well, what’s this you’ve dragged in to my house, Michael?” a chilling voice said. Out of thin air, two feet in military-grade boots materialized behind Gavin’s head. He twisted and looked up to see whose they were, and froze.

“I caught one of the Hunters, boss! I caught the other Gavin, and Ray-Ray’s a dirty traitor!” Other Michael said excitedly, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Hm. Should’ve seen that coming.” Other Geoff muttered, kneeling down in front of Gavin. “Good job, Michael. Why don’t you go fetch _our_ Gavin? He’ll want to test some of his theories, I think.” He said, grabbing Gavin’s chin and turning his face from side to side, inspecting.

“Yes, sir!” Other Michael nearly squealed in excitement as he quickly ran out of the door. Other Geoff sighed and continued to look Gavin over.

“He’s a good kid, but he’s way too hyper. It gets pretty fucking annoying, don’t you think?” he asked, prodding Gavin in the ribs. Gavin winced, as he was pretty sure one of them was bruised from struggling with Other Michael.

“Sure, if by annoying you mean scary as hell.” Gavin muttered, squirming uncomfortably. Other Geoff laughed, which only gave Gavin more discomfort; he sounded far too much like the real Geoff.

“I guess you’re a bit scared of all of us, huh?” Other Geoff helped Gavin up to his knees, inspecting the wound on the side of his head next and hissing in sympathy. “Who wouldn’t be, I guess, in this situation. You should relax, though, it’s not like we’re going to kill you. We need you.”

“Cut the friendly act, you bastard!” Gavin snapped, jerking away from Other Geoff’s hand. “What the hell do you want from me?” Other Geoff smiled serenely and grabbed the back of Gavin’s neck, pulling him uncomfortably close.

“Don’t be disrespectful, Gavin, or my patience _will_ run out.” He said calmly. “What we want from you are two things. The first is, we want you to serve as the bait to get the rest of your friends down here with us. You’re doing that already by being here.”

Gavin swallowed, trying not to start trembling. Other Geoff’s hands felt cold and dead, they smelled like blood, and oh god he did _not_ want to be anywhere near this _thing_.

“Wh-What’s the second thing?” Gavin asked, managing to force his voice not to crack on the question. Geoff chuckled darkly, sending a shiver down Gavin’s spine.

“The second thing is, _our_ Gavin is going to try and figure out how to get inside you.”

“Wh-What?” Gavin squeaked, turning pale.

“Oh, come on, Gavin, I know you’re not the brightest, but this is easy stuff.” Other Geoff grinned coldly. He had an awful look in his eye. “We’re going to take your body.”


	3. Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Ghost Ray gets a new name, exposition is spun, and Gavin is not having a good day.

Michael would be lying if he said he wasn’t still itching to go back through the Nether portal. He’d meant what he’d said; he was seriously fucking worried about what was happening to Gavin right now. Every time he dwelled on it for too long, Michael started replaying what had happened in his head; Gavin jumping in front of him in that fraction of a second; Gavin reaching out toward him, panicking and trusting Michael to save him; the look on Gavin’s face when he realized Michael had been too late and his hand was empty; being powerless and watching something hurt Gavin, something that had taken his own fucking face…

Yeah. He wasn’t getting over it any time soon.

So he could be forgiven if he was a little snippy and impatient at the moment, right?

“Ray…” Michael said testily through grit teeth.

“Shut up, Michael, I’m trying to concentrate!” Ray shushed him and got back to thinking. Michael could feel his blood pressure rising by the second.

“Listen, I know this is an… _important_ … decision for you.” He continued, disregarding Ray’s request. “But I just wanted to remind you that we have some more pressing matters to deal with here…”

“I know, man, just give me a second! Sheesh…” Ray sighed. Suddenly he looked up and snapped his fingers. “I got it! Gray!” he pointed at Ghost Ray, who was rubbing his arm sheepishly. “Your name is Gray from here on out!”

“You’re really giving me my own name…?” Ray’s double looked more than a little embarrassed.

“I wouldn’t go that far. He just smashed ‘Ghost’ and ‘Ray’ together…” Michael muttered. Ray elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow, fuck!”

“Well we couldn’t just keep calling him that! He’s his own person now, isn’t he?” Ray retorted, before turning back to _Gray_ and grinning. “You like it?”

“… Y-Yeah. I do.” Gray said quietly, smiling and toeing at the ground. There was a loud groan from nearby and all three of them turned to see Geoff digging the heels of his hands into his eyes.

“Jesus fucking _Christ_ , Ray, are you done naming your new puppy?” he snapped irritably. Ryan had to cover his mouth and clear his throat to hide his snickering. “We’ve kind of got a lot of stuff to ask _Gray_ , so if you don’t mind…?”

“H-He’s not…! Never mind, just go ahead…” Ray huffed, crossing his arms. Michael rolled his eyes but refocused his attention on their spectral friend.

“Alright, first thing’s first, Gray.” Michael asked, pulling a face as he said the name. “What the hell is a ‘Shadow’?”

“Ah… straight to that, huh?” Gray winced, adjusting his glasses. “Well, the thing about that is… I don’t really know what we are.”

“How can you not know what you are? You were able to name yourselves, right?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. Gray smiled weakly and shook his head.

“That’s just it, though. The first thing I remember is waking up in the Nether. I was alone, but I was aware that there were others like me. All I knew back then was that my name was supposed to be ‘Ray’, and that I had five people who I was supposed to be with.” Gray shook his head, sitting down and drawing his knees up to his chest. “The others were the same. As far as we knew, we were normal, and ‘human’. I didn’t start questioning what we actually were until I came here for the first time.”

“Yeah, okay, that was my next question.” Ryan interrupted, raising his hand to stop Gray. “How is it that you’re even _up_ here, when we can safely assume the others can’t be?” Gray looked surprised at the observation and sighed again.

“… Are you sure you want me to tell you? I mean, it might take a while, and I know you guys really want to get Gavin back. I don’t want to waste your time…” Gray murmured, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Gray, anything you can tell us about your history will help us in the long run.” Geoff answered calmly. “We’re blank slates here; Ray was right, we’ve got nothing. We need you to tell us as much as possible if we’re going to understand what we’re up against.”

“… Okay. I’ll do my best.” Gray nodded determinedly after a short pause. “After we’d all found each other, we went on regular scouting missions to find… I don’t know, something that wasn’t on fire or trying to kill us? You know how the Nether is. The mobs are just as kind to us as they are to you.”

Michael nodded, surprised. He hadn’t really thought about it until now, but the Nether wasn’t exactly _livable_. The only way he and the other Hunters had ever managed to stay safe during prolonged periods of Nether exploration was by holing up in a wall or clearing a fortress and breaking the mob spawners. It was always a struggle, no matter how often they did it, and Michael couldn’t even imagine what it must’ve been like to only know _that_.

“The Nether… isn’t a nice place to live.” Gray confirmed, and Michael shook away his extraneous thoughts to listen. “We were all miserable, but at the very least we were strong enough to take care of each other, and defend ourselves. Geoff… _other_ Geoff… he did his best to keep us going and surviving, even when we thought for sure we were going to die.” Gray laughed quietly, though he didn’t seem very amused.

“Then you found a Nether portal, right?” Ryan interrupted again, and Jack sighed and smacked him upside the head “Ow, what was that for?!” he frowned at Jack.

“Stop interrupting, jackass.” Jack said, shoving his shoulder lightly.

“I wasn’t interrupting! I was… contributing to the discussion!” Ryan retorted.

“Okay, _genius_ , but I’m not the one who was bellyaching about knowing nothing earlier.”

“Bellyaching? At least I wasn’t wasting time scolding…”

“Hey, how about _both_ of you shut the fuck up?” Geoff growled, glaring at them.

“H-He’s right though!” Gray took back control of the conversation, clearing his throat loudly. “I found a Nether portal, probably left over from a time that you all came through. I was going to go back and tell everyone about it, but… I felt drawn to it. I wanted to know what was on the other side. So I went through, and I ended up here, where there’s a sky, and an ocean, and trees, and animals and… you guys.”

“It must’ve been a shock finding us up here, huh….” Ray said. Gray smiled, and shook his head.

“No, actually. It’s like everything clicked suddenly, and I understood why things were the way they were. That we weren’t the originals, but copies of you, imitations, and that this…” Gray gestured vaguely, probably indicating the world around them. “ _This_ is the way life’s supposed to be.”

“It sounds like you were pretty excited. Still are, actually.” Michael observed, smiling. Gray ducked his head in embarrassment.

“S-Sorry… I’ve always wanted to talk to you, once I knew you could see me, so I guess I’m getting… carried away. I really couldn’t talk, in the beginning, no sound would come out. I couldn’t touch things either; I tried it on Gavin a few times. Didn’t work out too well.” he grinned sheepishly.

“So what you’re saying is, on our side you’re like this, where on your side you’re solid and more… uh… normal?” Geoff asked thoughtfully gesturing to the slight transparency of Gray’s body.

“That’s the gist of it, yeah.” Gray said cheerfully. “I was up here for weeks learning what I could do on this side, studying everything. I didn’t want to go back, but…”

“You had to go back for the others, right?” Ray asked quietly. Gray nodded, pursing his lips.

“Yeah. They were my friends, and I wanted them to be up here with me.” Gray sighed, running his hand back through his hair. “At first, everyone was so happy. We had finally found a way out of the Nether! I was so sure this was a good idea, but… I was wrong.” Gray suddenly frowned, a dark expression crossing his face as his hand rested on his forehead. “I was… I was _so fucking wrong_.”

“… What happened?” Michael asked tentatively, after a long silence. Gray let out a shaky breath and looked up again.

“The Nether portal _changed_ me. Watch this.” Gray pulled a knife from his belt, as translucent as he was, and closed his hand over it, drawing blood.

“H-Hey, man, what are you doing?!” Ray exclaimed, getting up and making a grab for Gray’s hand. Predictably, his hands went right through him. “Stop that!”

“Ray, don’t worry. Just look.” Gray said calmly, lifting up his hand. The bleeding was already stopping, and Ray sat down beside him and leaned closer to examine it.

“It’s… closing?!”

“You can heal.” Michael stated, staring at Gray’s hand.

“Yeah, I can. Notice how my bruises aren’t nearly as bad as they were when I got here? It’s slow-going, but I can do it. So that just made everyone even more excited.” Gray tapped his cheek, where his ugly bruise was indeed beginning to fade. “That’s when I found out, of course, how wrong I was.”

“… What happened to the others when they went through the portal? Obviously they couldn’t get here like you could.” Geoff asked. Gray shook his head and looked at the ground.

“Oh, they changed too. When they went in, they were my friends; they’d been through hell but they were still _there_. But once they came back out… they were monsters.” Gray looked to Michael and Ray. “You saw it firsthand, what’s inside the other Michael now. Whatever it is, it isn’t _him_. And the others are the same way.”

“… I’m sorry. For what it’s worth.” Ray said softly, nudging Gray with his shoulder. Though Gray wasn’t solid at that moment, he smiled weakly at the gesture.

“Thank you. But that’s not the worst of it.” He said, standing up. “Other Geoff, once he realized he couldn’t access it, became obsessed with this world… no, with _you_. He wanted to recreate every aspect of your lives in the Nether, which is why ‘Dark Achievement City’ was built. I thought if I could help him do that, he would stop, and things could go back to how they were. No more bloodthirsty mob-hunting, no more obsessing, no more cruelty…”

“But they didn’t.”

“No. They didn’t. Once the city was built, Other Geoff told us something. I remember every word.” Gray said bitterly. “ _We’re the ones who should be up there enjoying their lives. We deserve that safety and happiness. We aren’t copies of the originals; we’re the new versions, better and more powerful than they’ll ever be. We were born to overshadow them._ ”

“… ‘Overshadow’? So that’s where you got the _name_ , but…” Michael echoed thoughtfully. “I-I don’t get it, he… what, wants our _lives_? How’s he going to go about that, exactly? He can’t even come through the portal!” he laughed hollowly, crossing his arms. Gray went silent, staring at the ground. “… Right?”

There was a clear conflict going on in Gray’s head, and it showed on his face. He wanted to say something, but at the same time he was terrified of the reaction it would get. He actually looked like he might cry.

 “Gray, you promised you’d tell us everything. Answer Michael’s question.” Geoff said, his voice authoritative. Gray flinched, and clutched tightly at his arm.

“The other Gavin… he has this theory…”

____________________________________________________

“What kind of theory?” Gavin asked.

Since his _pleasant_ exchange with Other Geoff, Gavin had been unceremoniously chained to the wall in a far corner of the monolith house, and left to wait for his other self to show up. He was aching all over, his head was pounding, and _god_ was the Nether hot. At this rate he would _cook_ before anyone arrived to check on him. Something had told him that might be preferable to what was going to happen to him when they did.

He had shaken the thought from his head. The rest of the Hunters were probably figuring out how to rescue him right now. In the meantime, he couldn’t let these bastards do anything to break him.

Eventually the Other Gavin had come. He and Other Geoff had talked quietly, out of Gavin’s range of hearing, and then he had been alone with his double.

“… So.” Other Gavin had finally said, breaking the silence. “How are you holding up?”

“Oh, absolutely tippers! It’s great down here _in the bloody Nether_!” Gavin had retorted, feverish and mad as hell. “How the _hell_ do you think I’m doing?!”

“… ‘Tippers’? Really? That’s how you talk?” Other Gavin had scoffed, taking a knee and grabbing the chain connected to the shackle that encircled Gavin’s neck. He’d pulled, forcing Gavin up so that their faces were level. “Fucking ridiculous. Don’t you get tired of acting that _stupid_?”

“I didn’t _ask_ for your goddamn approval, you stupid minge!” Gavin had snapped in a strangled voice, glaring at him. The corner of Other Gavin’s lips had twitched upward as he’d pulled a harder on the chain, completely cutting off Gavin’s air supply.

“The little prick in the bear hat was right, you _are_ a rude one. You’re almost as bad as he is. I can’t believe you’re what I have to work with.” He said coolly, sighing. “If you don’t want me to choke you to unconsciousness right now, I’d suggest you start being a bit more fucking polite. Are we clear?”

If Gavin had been creeped out by Other Michael’s psychotic grin, and unsettled by Other Geoff’s not-quite-right laugh, he’d been _terrified_ by his own double’s lack of emotion. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t happy. He wasn’t even _annoyed_. He just stared at him with dead eyes, slowly strangling him with the chain.

“G-Got it….!” Gavin had managed, unable to breathe. Other Gavin dropped the chain suddenly, causing Gavin to drop to his knees and slump forward until his head was touching the ground, gasping for air.

“Good. Alright, here’s how this is going to go.” Other Gavin had said briskly, pulling something from his belt. “I have a theory I need to test.”

 So, “What kind of theory?” Gavin asked.

Here they were, Gavin still glaring up at his doppelganger, and Other Gavin holding a small knife in his hand.

Just because he was bloody terrified didn’t mean he was going to show it to this bastard.

“You really want to know?” Other Gavin raised an eyebrow skeptically, the most movement his face had made since the conversation began. Gavin nodded slowly.

“It’s a simple one really. I think that the reason we can’t go to your side is because we don’t have real bodies. We’re what goes inside the bodies, the upgrade. You, on the other hand, are the old model, currently inside the body I need.” Other Gavin slid a finger over the blade of the knife, checking its sharpness.

“So, what, are you going to try to cut me out of my own body then? That seems like a pretty stupid plan to me.” Gavin laughed humorlessly. Other Gavin shook his head, grabbing Gavin’s chain again and pulling back, forcing him to the ground. “AH! What the hell…?!”

“I am aware you’re more intelligent than you let on, ‘Gavin’.” Gavin’s double straddled his stomach, twirling the knife between his fingers. “We both know that this knife isn’t for you.” He closed his hand around the blade and quickly pulled it away, making a deep cut in his palm. Gavin’s eyes widened in realization.

“W-Wait….!” Gavin began trying to squirm away, but his double had him firmly pinned to the ground. That damned black smoke was pouring out of his hand, concentrating itself into a dense ball.

“We’re going to run a few experiments, Gavin. I trust you’ll be a good boy and try not to resist too much?” Other Gavin interrupted casually, his free hand grasping Gavin’s chin.

“ _Get off of me_!” Gavin panicked and tried, unsuccessfully, to kick himself free.

“Oh, I guess not. Well then, this is going to hurt a _lot_ more than it has to.” His voice dispassionate, Other Gavin pressed his wounded hand over Gavin’s nose and mouth.

Gavin screamed, the noise muffled by the smoke that he was _breathing in oh god Michael where are you help me I don’t think I can…._

And then everything went black.


	4. You'd Do the Same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Michael does something stupid, Ryan isn’t as level-headed as he’s letting on, and Gavin starts thinking…

“… Ryan?” Michael asked quietly.

“… Yes, Michael?” Ryan replied, as he looked up from his busywork of re-stringing his bow.

“Please let me out.” Michael leaned his head against the door in front of him.

“Can you promise me you’re not going to be a complete _moron_ if I do?” Ryan answered calmly, going back to work. Michael let out a slow breath, closing his eyes and running a hand back through his hair.

“… No. No, I can’t promise you that.”

“That’s what I thought. Sorry, buddy, you’re not going anywhere.”

Michael sighed and slammed his back against the door, sliding down to sit on the floor of Kung Fu House.

When he’d heard what Shadow Gavin’s “theory” was, his heart had damn near stopped beating in his chest. Literally overshadowing somebody? Taking control of Gavin’s body? Michael had tried, he’d tried _so hard_ to brush off the idea, there was no _way_ that was going to work. It wasn’t fucking possible.

But then Ryan had asked Gray for fucking _details_ about how it could be _made_ possible.

And oh, had Gray gone into detail. Gruesome, horrifying detail. Everyone looked fucking sick to their stomach, even the one _explaining_ had to stop talking to sit down, apologizing profusely and covering his head. Ray had rushed to the poor guy’s side, of course, miming the act of rubbing his back and simultaneously glaring at Ryan, rebuking him for pushing the subject. That had set off quite the argument about the necessity of knowing _everything_.

Come to think of it, Ray had a weird fucking affection for his double, Michael noted as he absently tossed a pebble at Edgar’s window. Gray didn’t seem used to the positive attention. Maybe that’s why Ray did it.

Anyway, the whole altercation had provided just enough of a distraction for Michael to take a few steps back from the group and duck out of the discussion unseen. He’d gone to the chest in his house and hurriedly grabbed as much supplies as he could: potions that Gavin had made for him (he was always better at the more complex crafting stuff…), an extra sword, food, a new bow, arrows, et cetera. Then he’d walked out of the door.

And of course fucking _Geoff_ was standing right there, Jack and Ryan flanking him.

“What’re you doing, Michael?” he’d sighed, arms crossed. Michael had stood there, opening his mouth to respond but then closing it again. “Did you think no one would notice you left? Put down the backpack.”

Michael’s eyes had darted from Geoff to the Nether portal and back again. Fuck, how many steps was it? He wasn’t Gavin, he couldn’t do this quick calculation shit…

“Michael, don’t do anything stupid.” Jack had said pacifyingly, holding up a hand and moving towards him. Michael had taken a step back, lifting his sword. “Easy. We’re all upset about Gavin, and I know you’re worried, okay? But that is why you need to put down the sword, and the backpack, and just _calm down_. We can talk about this, okay?”

Michael had shaken his head, taking another step back.

“Michael. Put. Down. The _fucking_. Backpack.” Geoff growled, also stepping forward.

Michael then made a decision. He’d run for it.

Of course, he hadn’t made it halfway there before Jack and Ryan had wrestled him to the ground, and then summarily locked him inside Kung Fu House.

“Let me _out_ , you fucking assholes! I need to get Gavin back! They’re fucking tearing him apart on that side and I can’t let that _happen_! _PLEASE!_ ” he’d screamed, pounding on the door. Geoff had grabbed his collar through the door’s window.

“ _No_ , Michael, what you need to do is fucking cool off, and calm the _fuck_ down. You’re not going on a fucking suicide mission on my watch!” he’d barked, throwing him backwards from the door. “Ryan, if you let him out of that house I will punch you in the _fucking_ face, I swear to god!” he’d said in an angry aside before storming off.

So here Michael sat, throwing pebble after pebble at Edgar’s window, finally calming down and realizing what an immature asshole he’d been. He stopped throwing when he heard Edgar lowing in protest at the annoying sound, and stretched out his legs, groaning.

There was just so much he wanted to talk to Gavin about right now. He wanted to tell him what a stupid fuck he was for trying to protect him. He wanted to tell him how much he missed laughing at his stupid jokes and his equally stupid fuck-ups. He wanted to tell him he was an idiot and he wanted to fucking hug him and he… he just wanted him to be fucking _safe_.

“You miss him a lot, huh.” Ryan interrupted Michael’s train of thought. It was more of a statement than a question.

“What do you fucking think, Ryan?” Michael snapped, with no real bite. “Of course I miss him! Why do you think I fucking lost it and tried to throw myself in the portal again?”

Ryan answered with a noncommittal “Hmm,” and the silence dragged on for a little while. Michael thumped the back of his head against the door a few times, before speaking.

“How do you fucking do it, man?” he scoffed.

“How do I do what?” Ryan was still restringing the damn bow. Wasn’t he done already? It wasn’t that fucking hard to do.

“You just… you _detach_. You analyze, and strategize, and do your ‘genius’ thing. Sure you can crack jokes and play pranks, but when it comes down to it it’s like you don’t feel anything!” Michael couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice. “You’re like a fucking robot or…!” he abruptly cut off when he heard the snap of a bowstring. “Ryan…?”

“That’s what you fucking think, huh?” Ryan said, after a long pause. “That I don’t feel anything?”

 “Uh, I didn’t mean it like…”

“No, Michael, I know exactly how you meant it. You’re half-right.” Ryan laughed, though it didn’t sound even one bit sincere. “Unlike _you_ , I don’t act on every damn whim that I have. If I did, I’d be headed into that portal with you right the fuck now.” Michael sat up in surprise.

“You would? But you don’t… uh…”

“Listen, Michael, I may not be the member of the Achievement Hunters with the most seniority, but that doesn’t fucking mean I don’t _care_ about any of you.” Ryan said tightly. “I just have the good sense to put some of that aside for the sake of the fucking team. I think you’d do well to do the same.”

“Hey, I _am_ thinking about the…!”

“No you’re _not_ , Michael, you are thinking about _Gavin_. And hell, I’m thinking about him too, everyone is. But he’s not the only one at risk here, and he’s not the only factor! You have to think of yourself, and of us. The second we step back onto that side we are all targets to be overshadowed. Do you understand? _You can’t help Gavin if that happens_.”

Michael went dead silent, and so did Ryan. They passed a few minutes like that until Jack came to check on them.

“Hey, Ryan, how… Oh my _god_ , what did you do to your hand?!” Michael heard Jack exclaim.

“It’s nothing. My bowstring snapped, that’s all. It’ll stop bleeding soon.” Ryan said flatly. Michael got up and looked out of the door’s window.

“That’s not like you, man. You never mess up restringing that thing.” Jack clicked his tongue in sympathy, holding up Ryan’s hand and examining his bloody fingers. Ryan pulled his hand away and glanced at Michael for a split second.

“Well, I guess all of us are a little riled up today. If you’re that worried, Jack, take over guard duty while I go clean this.”

“Sure thing.” Jack said, as Ryan walked away. He turned to the door to see Michael peeking through, and sighed. “How’re you doing, Michael?”

“I feel… a bit calmer now.” Michael murmured. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” Jack said, smiling softly. “It’s like Ryan said, none of us are exactly level-headed right now.”

“… Did Gray say anything else while I was off being an idiot?” Michael asked tentatively. Jack shook his head.

“He was bad enough when Ryan had him explain that… ‘process’ to us. When he realized you’d run off to jump into the Nether alone, he damn near went into hysterics.” He frowned, scratching his head. “I can’t imagine what that guy’s been through to make him so… panicky.”

“Jesus, is he alright?” Well, now Michael just felt like _shit_. Ray would probably tear him a new one for this.

“He’s fine. Ray took him to his place, and he’s sleeping it off. Geoff wanted to see if he could talk to him now, but Ray’s guarding the door like a fucking pitbull.” He chuckled at that. “Most likely we’ll learn more tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Michael paused a moment before continuing. “Hey Jack? I promise I won’t do anything stupid. Please let me out?”

“Why, Michael?” Jack asked skeptically.

“I… I just want to go lie down. And give Ryan back his house. I don’t think Edgar likes me being in here.” Michael smiled sheepishly. Jack laughed.

“I don’t think he likes _anyone_ being in there, since the whole ‘Iron Cake’ incident.” Jack shook his head. “Fine, I’ll let you out. I’m walking you back to your house, though.”

“Fair.”

So Michael was back inside his house, with Jack lingering around outside to make sure he didn’t run off. He needn’t have bothered, honestly, Michael was too tired to run anywhere.  He flopped down onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, slowly drifting off, and wishing once again for Gavin to be safe.

————————————————————————————————————-

This was just a nightmare.

That’s all it was. When Gavin woke up, he was going to be in his bed in Achievement City, in his house. He’d get up and go hang with the rest of the Hunters, and tell them about this crazy dream he had. Geoff would shove his head and laugh about his weird imagination. Michael would laugh, too, and make fun of him for being an idiot even in his own head. Ray would probably crack a dirty joke about Gavin never having the “normal" type of weird dream. Ryan would play another prank on him today, maybe. Gavin and Jack would get into another friendly competition, and Jack would probably win and rub it in his face. Maybe later, Gavin would go spelunking with Michael. And maybe Gavin would finally get over himself and kiss his best friend like he’d wanted to for a long, long time…

“Hey, wake up. Can you wake up for me, Gavin?”

All at once, Gavin was brought back to reality. He was lying on the hard stone floor of Other Geoff’s house, still chained to the wall. Even though it was still hot, his insides were _freezing_. He could feel dried blood on his face, his whole body was in pain, and everything smelled like _rot_. Gavin would have thrown up if he wasn’t completely empty. Instead, he shuddered fully awake, opening his eyes.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” The voice that had woken him said. Someone grabbed his shoulders and propped his back against the wall, and he felt the tight ropes around his wrists slip away. He hissed in pain at the sensation, dully realizing that he was still in control of his body. Good, the Other Gavin hadn’t broken through. Assured of this, Gavin finally looked up at the person kneeling in front of him.

“Oh, you’re…”

“The other Ryan, yeah. Nice to meet you.” Other Ryan said cheerfully, with a pleasant smile. Gavin eyed him warily. “I brought water, and food. Well, not the food you’re used to I’m sure, being from up there and all.” Other Ryan held a small cup out to him, offering.

“… Where did you get water? We’re in the Nether.” Gavin asked, taking the cup but not drinking from it yet.

“Oh, Ray… that’s _our_ Ray, not yours… he brought it with him from his trips to your side. Geoff made him stock up. I figured you wouldn’t want the stuff _we_ drink after what you’ve been through.” Ryan’s double looked at Gavin expectantly. “Well? Go on and drink it. It’s not poisoned or anything, and I’ve got more with me if you’d like.” Gavin only hesitated a second before chugging the whole thing to wash away the taste in his mouth. He hadn’t even realized how thirsty he was, and coughed, holding the cup out again. Other Ryan chuckled and filled it up from a bucket he had next to him.

“Thanks, I guess…” Gavin muttered, before catching himself and shaking his head. “Wait a second, no, why am I thanking you? Aren’t you going to threaten me, or strangle me for fun, or do something else absolutely _mental_ when I’m least expecting it?!” he snapped.

“That hurts, Gavin.” Other Ryan said sadly, handing the full cup back to him. “You should know not all of us are batshit crazy. You’ve met our Ray, for god’s sake. He wouldn’t hurt a fucking fly if he didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, well one out of six doesn’t strike me as good odds!” Gavin frowned, downing the water. He looked at Other Ryan again, to find he had a somber expression on his face.

“Listen, I _am_ sorry it has to be this way.” He sighed, setting down a bowl filled with what looked like some sort of cooked meat in… something. “I know what our Gavin’s putting you through must be painful as hell.”  
“Oh, yeah, little bit.” Gavin scoffed, staring at the bowl. “Er… what _is_ that, exactly?”

“Pigman meat and mushroom stew. Not the rotten parts or anything, though, don’t worry.” Other Ryan assured him, nudging it forward.

“… _This_ is what you all eat?” Gavin asked, pulling a face. Ryan’s double nodded, resting his chin in his hand.

“It used to be we could barely get enough to survive for a couple days. The mobs wouldn’t let us near enough to most mushroom patches to grab even a couple. Now, though, we always have enough.” He sighed again, staring at Gavin. “From what Ray tells us, though, you always have fresh food on your side. That might explain why you’re such a tough son of a bitch to crack. Our Gavin was pretty annoyed, honestly.”

Gavin fell silent, licking at his chapped lips and holding out his cup for water again, gulping it down when he received it. He hadn’t really thought about it, considering his position, but life down here must be a living hell. The mobs were stronger, there was fire bloody everywhere, no real plants unless you counted the mushrooms, no animals, no water… It really was no wonder all these doppelgangers turned out so… fundamentally _wrong_.

“You’ve got to understand, Gavin, why we have to do this.” Other Ryan patted Gavin’s knee and smiled again. Gavin couldn’t help thinking it looked sincere. “We don’t enjoy hurting you. But life down here is hard, and you’re our shot at finally reaching safety.”

“B-But there has to be some other way, right? Can’t you try the portal again?”

“No, Gavin, when we go through the portal, we just end up… hey, why don’t you eat something?”

“Um… Okay…” Gavin agreed, hesitantly. He picked up the bowl and tipped it slightly to try its contents. The taste was awful, but he swallowed anyway, trying not to let his gag reflex get the better of him.

“Like I was saying, we don’t end up on your side. We go somewhere else. But that’s not important. We _need_ this, Gavin. We’ve gone through hell and you’ve given us hope that we can finally go someplace where we can actually have _lives_! You should be happy about that!” Other Ryan’s eyes were shining. He looked so happy that it gave Gavin a twisted feeling in his gut.

“Look, R-Ryan…” Gavin pulled another face at using that name with this pale imitation of his friend. “You seem like a… like a reasonable guy. Surely you can see that this isn’t the only way to do things? That what’s going on here is… _wrong_?” Other Ryan’s smile faded.

“Wrong? No.” he said. Something had changed behind his eyes, like all the friendliness had drained from them. Gavin swallowed nervously. “I’ll tell you what’s ‘wrong’. Wrong is having to watch the people you care about starve every day and not being able to do a fucking thing about it. Wrong is wandering this damn wasteland trying to find food and shelter, chased by every mob and hiding in holes in the fucking wall.” Other Ryan’s voice was getting progressively louder with each listing. “ _Wrong_ is being told there might be a way out of this fucking hellhole, and then realizing you _can’t_ get out. Wrong is hoping for the outside world you were told about and instead being sucked into a dark, terrifying _void_ for what feels like forever. And finally, _wrong_ is being told by _you_ that what we are doing to survive is _wrong_!” Other Ryan shoved Gavin’s shoulder into the wall, crushing it painfully against the stone brick.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” Gavin stuttered, holding his shoulder in pain. Other Ryan laughed harshly, shaking his head.

“Yeah. You _don’t_ know, ‘Gavin’. I have nothing against you or yours, but if overshadowing you, our one chance to survive, is wrong? Well then, I’m an evil motherfucker.” With that, Other Ryan rose, turning away. “I can’t watch them… I can’t watch _him_ … waste away ever again. You’d do the same for your Michael, wouldn’t you?” he said quietly, and began walking away.

“R-Ryan, wait…!” Gavin called out hoarsely, reaching out. He felt sick, and guilty, and disappointed. This doppelganger may have _seemed_ friendly, but he was just as far gone as the others.

“You should eat something. You’re going to need it if you want to survive the next round of experiments.” Other Ryan called coolly over his shoulder. He was met at the door by a figure that Gavin couldn’t make out in the dim light, though he did hear his voice.

“I told you talking to that fucker would only upset you, Ryan.”

“I know, you were right. I won’t be trying it again.”

“I still say we should just kill him right now and see if our Gavin can’t just take his dead body.”

“ _Jack_ …”

“Yeah, yeah, Geoff’s rules or whatever. I still say we should try to…” the voices got farther and farther away, until Gavin was left in silent solitude once again.

He sighed heavily and leaned his head against the wall behind him. Every part of him was aching, and his eyelids were heavy, but Gavin knew whatever sleep he’d get would be feverish and restless. Instead he found himself thinking about Other Ryan’s words.

_You’d do the same for your Michael, wouldn’t you?_

What troubled Gavin the most was that, when he really sat and thought about it, he _would_.

So at the end of the day… was he really any different from them?


	5. Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Something is going on with Ray, and Gavin starts losing…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take this moment to apologize for my lack of update! I was in LA visiting my dad, and had limited internet access! But I'm back now, so my update schedule should be solid at least for the rest of the week.  
> I also wanted to take this moment to thank all of you so much for your readership, kudos, and comments. I'm so glad you are enjoying this fic, and I hope you continue to enjoy it in the future! ^^

When Michael blinked awake the next morning, he exhaled heavily and stared at his ceiling. He’d been worried that his sleep would be plagued with nightmares, but evidently he had been completely exhausted and thankfully dreamless. When he finally rolled himself out of bed he realized it was still pretty early in the morning, and decided now was as good a time as any to talk to Ray.

So Michael found himself standing sheepishly in front of Ray’s shitty house, rapping on the door.

“Ray? Hey, man, you awake?” he called quietly. The door flew open before he could continue knocking and he was met with an annoyed glare from his friend. He looked exhausted, but his irritation was clear as day, even with dark circles beneath his eyes. “Hey. Uh, I was wondering if we could talk for a…!” Ray angrily put a finger up to his own lips.

“Not here.” He whispered, shaking his head. “Hold on, okay?” Leaving the door slightly ajar, Ray retreated back into his house. Michael could hear him talking in hushed tones to someone inside, and suddenly remembered that Gray was in there too. Curious, he opened the door a little more and poked his head in to watch what was going on.

“Hey, buddy. Mornin’.” Ray was kneeling by the side of his bed, in which Gray was lying. His translucent double blinked, waking up only slightly.

“Ray…? ‘S… something wrong?” he murmured, making a move to sit up. Ray held a hand out and stopped him, pushing him gently back down. To Michael’s shock, Ray’s arm _hadn’t_ gone through Gray’s body.

“Nah, it’s nothing. I’m going to go out for a bit, okay? I need to talk to Michael.”

“Is he okay…?” Gray sounded alarmed. Ray sighed.

“He’s fine, Gray. We’re just going to talk. I’ll be back soon, you can go back to sleep if you want.” He reached for Gray’s forehead and smoothed his hair out of his eyes, confirming for Michael that yes, Ray was actually touching him.

“Okay…”

As Ray got up from his position by the bed, Michael moved away from the door, turning around and feigning ignorance of the whole conversation. He only turned back when the click of the latch alerted him to Ray’s presence.

“Bridge. Now.” Ray said tersely, walking across the lawn. Michael followed him until they were standing on top of the stone bridge leading out of Achievement City, a tense silence settling between them. Finally, Ray took a deep breath and spoke.

“You’re a fucking _asshole_.”

“I know. I’m sorry, man.” Michael sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Don’t you _ever_ fucking try that shit again!” Ray shoved Michael’s shoulder back. “Not alone! _Never_ alone!” This time, instead of shoving, he grabbed Michael’s shoulder and gripped it tightly, saying nothing and looking at the ground.

“… Ray?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked quietly.

“What?”

“Do you fucking _trust me_?” Ray repeated insistently. Michael nodded slowly, averting his eyes.

“You and Gavin are my best friends, of course I trust…”  
“Then listen to me right now. I promised you we were getting Gavin back no matter what. And that is _exactly_ what is going to happen. But we can’t do that if your head isn’t right!” Ray snapped, grabbing the sides of Michael’s face and forcing him to make eye contact. “Now you promise me… You fucking _promise_ me… that you aren’t going to do that shit again. We do this together. As a fucking _team_. No unnecessary risks. No irrational decisions. No fucking sacrifice plays by Michael ‘Mogar’ Jones. Deal?”

“… Deal.” Michael said, calmly. Ray searched his eyes for a moment before dropping his hands to his sides and sighing heavily. After a moment of silence, Michael spoke again. “Ray… what did Gray tell you?” Ray looked up in surprise.

“… Am I that obvious about it?” he snorted humorlessly and shook his head, putting his hands on his hips.

“You’re fuckin’ _spooked_ , man.” Michael put a hand on Ray’s shoulder. “You’re never this jumpy about anything. Plus… I saw how you were treating Gray this morning.” Ray’s eyes snapped up sharply to look at Michael, before he turned away slightly and coughed. Michael could make out a slight flush in his cheeks, and raised an eyebrow.

“R-Right. Well, that’s…” he seemed to be searching for the right words. “Uh… H-how much of that did you see?” he finished lamely, avoiding Michael’s gaze.

“Enough, I think. What is going on with you two, anyway?” Michael inquired, a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. Ray glared at him and shook his head furiously.

“Shut up, you prick! That’s not even… what’s important is… just fucking drop it!” he snapped exasperatedly. Michael had to swallow his urge to laugh.

“Okay, okay dude! Sheesh. You were saying, before I so rudely interrupted?”

“Right.” Ray took a deep breath and resumed a serious tone. “Michael, this is worse than we thought. When Gray was finally calming down, he talked to me for a bit as he was drifting off. Just… just remembering things while half-asleep, but I heard enough.”

“… Well?” Michael swallowed, his throat feeling dry. After everything they knew already, what could possibly be worse? He watched uneasily as Ray took a deep breath.

“The reason that Shadow Gavin is so sure his theory is going to work is probably due to two things. The first is this: you remember what Gray told us about what happened to his friends after they came back through the portal?”

_But once they came back out… they were monsters… whatever it is, it isn’t him. And the others are the same way._

Michael did recall what Gray said. More than that, he remembered the angry, dark, _dead_ look that had passed over the usually-docile specter’s face as he said it. It had frightened him, honestly, how dangerous Gray had looked in that split second. Brushing his thoughts aside, Michael nodded at Ray to continue.

“Well, last night, when Gray was coming down, he just kept repeating ‘They took their skin, Ray, they took it, and they’ll take Gavin’s, and they’ll take Michael's now too, oh _god_ ’. He just kept repeating that.” Ray ran a hand back through his hair, exhaling. Michael looked guiltily at the ground, before he fully processed what had just been said.

“So wait, that means that…”

“Gray thinks that the other Shadows are literally something _other_. He believes the reason that they think they can take our bodies is that _they managed to do it before_.”

Michael sucked in an alarmed breath, but didn’t allow himself to panic. He’d promised to keep his head straight, and he fucking would, no matter how scared he was. For Gavin’s sake, and for Ray’s.

“Okay, that’s… that’s bad news, all right. But you said there were two things…?” he managed, keeping his voice level. Ray looked at Michael, studying his reaction, before continuing.

“Gray… he had so many nightmares last night. I haven’t asked him about them yet…” Ray’s expression was suddenly dark and unreadable. “He kept whimpering their names, over and over. ‘Please don’t do this’ one time. ‘Make it stop’ another. ‘Geoff please no’. ‘I’ll do whatever you want’. ‘I don’t want the smoke in me’. ‘Get out of my head’. He sounded so fucking _scared_ , Michael…”

It took Michael a second, one fucking second, before realization dawned. He felt like his gut had been flooded with ice water.

“ _Jesus_ … they couldn’t have… that’s not…”

“Think about it, man. He was terrified of Shadow Michael. Gray can heal, so they could do whatever the fuck they wanted and he would be ready overnight… to be a lab rat again…” Ray responded flatly, but there was an undercurrent of something else quivering beneath his tone.

“… Ray, why can you touch him?” Michael asked. He didn’t like the look on Ray’s face, it was fucking terrifying how blank it was.

“… Last night, I sat with him while he was sleeping. Whenever he had another nightmare, I reached for his hand. Around the millionth time I did that, I could _touch_ his hand. He stopped whimpering and he just went still. He slept through the rest of the night.” Ray shook his head, staring at the ground. “I think… I think I can touch him because he trusts me. I think… I make him forget the bad things. Feel safe.”

Michael remained silent and watched his friend carefully. He watched as Ray’s blank look slowly turned into a boiling, seething rage, and his fists curled in tightly.

“Michael, I swear I’ll fucking kill them. I’ll kill every single one of those fucking _monsters_.”

———————————————————————————-

“You piece of fucking _trash_.”

Other Gavin was violently thrown from the doorway into Other Geoff’s house, startling Gavin out of his light doze. His double struggled to pick himself up, making it to his knees and trembling, wiping the side of his mouth from which black smoke had begun to leak slightly.

“Geoff, please, I can…!” Other Gavin began calmly, before the figure in the doorway swooped forward and grabbed his neck, choking his sentence into silence.

“Be quiet.” Other Geoff was smiling serenely, but his eyes were steely and cold. “Let me do a rundown of our situation for you, Gavin. Ray has defected from us and chosen to help the Old Hunters. We have captured their Gavin and as such have the bait set. The enemy could reenter the Nether at any time, knowing our weaknesses due to our little traitor. Our only chance of immediately subduing them according to plan is for you to take their Gavin’s body as soon as possible. Is that all clear to you?”

“Y-Yes…” Other Gavin managed, attempting to pry Other Geoff’s hand away from his neck. His efforts only earned him a tighter grip, and he yelped in response.

“So answer me this, Gavin. Why haven’t you been successful?” Other Geoff finally let go, and Other Gavin fell to the ground, coughing up a storm.

“I… I told you, Geoff, he’s a tough son of a bitch. He keeps… he keeps _rejecting_ me. I just need a little more time and I swear…” Other Gavin was interrupted by a click of Other Geoff’s tongue, swiftly followed by a kick to the stomach. Other Gavin fell on his back, groaning in pain.

“We don’t have ‘a little more time’, Gavin. I don’t think you were listening to me at all.” Other Geoff tutted, producing a bucket from behind him and swinging it slightly as he pressed Other Gavin flat on the ground with his boot. “What did I tell you about listening to what the fuck I say, Gavin? There are consequences for disobedience.”

“Geoff, I’m sorry, I can…!” Other Gavin was silenced when a boot was lightly placed on his neck, not choking him, but as a warning.

“Shut. Up.” Other Geoff ordered, still with that same terrifying smile. Other Gavin went still and silent, and Gavin could see that he was still trembling like a leaf. “I think a few drops will do the trick.”

Gavin watched as Other Geoff bent down and lifted the hem of his doppelganger’s shirt, exposing a small stretch of pale abdomen. Other Gavin whimpered as Other Geoff tilted the bucket slightly, letting a few heavy, large drops of… whatever it was, Gavin couldn’t make it out from where he was sitting… fall onto the exposed skin.

And that’s when the screaming began.

It seemed to go on forever, Other Gavin screaming and writhing on the ground, practically seizing in pain. The damned black smoke was pouring from his mouth and eyes in torrents, and Gavin couldn’t watch, he couldn’t bloody watch anymore of this _nightmare_. He closed his eyes and covered his ears and prayed it would be over soon.  
And it was. The screaming faded into panicked, choked breaths, and Other Geoff turned and began walking towards the door.

“Don’t disappoint me again, Gavin. You break him today, and if you don’t, it will be Michael who receives your punishment.”

“ _D-Don’t fucking touch him_!” Other Gavin hissed, in a surprising fit of emotion. Other Geoff slowly turned in the doorway, a truly dangerous look flashing in his eye.

“I’m sorry, Gavin, I didn’t catch that. Did you say something?”

“… No, sir.”

“That’s what I thought. Good fucking luck.” And with that, he was gone. Other Gavin groaned in pain, dragging himself to the wall and using it to support himself as he stood. He slowly felt his way to the area where Gavin was chained, and slumped to his knees in front of him. Now that he was closer, Gavin could see he was still quite disheveled from whatever the hell had happened to him, and due to his shirt riding up, Gavin could make out a dark, red, sizzling burn mark on his double’s stomach. Other Gavin quickly pulled his shirt down and glared at Gavin.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” he inquired flatly, trying to regain his calm, intelligent demeanor. His hands were shaking as he smoothed down his shirt, though.

“… Does he do that to you often?” Gavin inquired quietly, giving his copy a piteous look.

“… That doesn’t matter, and it’s none of your business. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t want your fucking pity.” Other Gavin answered tightly, taking the knife from his belt. Gavin swallowed and leaned forward slightly, gently putting a hand on his double’s arm. He stilled at the touch.

“I can help you. All of you. You don’t have to let him do this. Me and the other Hunters, we can find a way to get all of you to the overworld without all this madness.”

Other Gavin pursed his lips, staring at the ground for a moment, before slowly shaking his head.

“What the bloody fuck do you want me to do, hm? Do you want me to unchain you and get you to the portal? You heard what Geoff said. If I make a wrong move, the asshole in the bear hat will suffer for it. And he’d… he’d never forgive me for going against Geoff’s orders. He’s fucking devoted to that man.” Other Gavin said grimly as he put the knife to his palm.

“But I’m telling you, we can _help_ …”

“Don’t fucking toy with me, Gavin Free.” Suddenly the blade was pressed up under Gavin’s chin. “You must think I’m some sort of idiot. What you’re offering me is a _rain check_. In the meantime, I have no guarantee of my or mine’s safety. I’m not like you, sitting here waiting for prince fucking charming to come rescue me. I live in reality.” Gavin narrowed his eyes at the accusation.

“The other Hunters _are_ coming, and they _will_ rescue me, and they’ll kill you to do it. I’m trying to offer you a bloody _out_.” Gavin snapped.

“Coming for you, are they? Well, here’s how that’s going to go, Gavin.” Other Gavin grabbed his shoulders and slammed him down onto the ground, straddling his hips once again. Gavin struggled, but his double pinned his wrists above his head with one hand. “You’re going to meet them at the bloody door. You will have escaped us, you see, just in the nick of time. They’ll be so happy, so _relieved_ to see you. Especially Michael. Maybe you’ll even give him a nice big kiss, yeah? Except, none of this will be you, understand. It will be me.”  
“No it won’t, you bastard!” Gavin thrashed in his double’s grip, to no avail.

“Then they’ll realize too late that something’s wrong with you, and the rest of the Shadow Hunters will ambush them. Geoff will be overshadowed first, then Ryan, then Jack. We’ll slit both Rays’ throats. And then, I’ll make _damn_ sure that your Michael is the last one, and that you’re watching every fucking second of it.” Other Gavin snarled, his expression cold.

“Fat chance of that, you son of a bitch. _You’re not going to break me_.” Gavin hissed, glaring up at his doppelganger defiantly. Other Gavin sat back slightly, looking at the ceiling.

“Oh, no?” he said, and exhaled. A single tendril of black smoke curled out from his lips. “Well, Gavin…” Other Gavin roughly grabbed the back of Gavin’s head and pulled his face uncomfortably close. “I sure as hell can _try_.”

The next second, Gavin was choking, aware that the smoke was being poured into him, unable to stop it, and completely unaware of what exactly was happening. His fingers scrambled for purchase on the stone brick floor, to no gain. Everything tasted like blood and cold, his head was going all fuzzy, his body felt so heavy, and the lips against his felt dead and icy and so bloody _wrong_.

He wanted to scream, but he couldn’t. Control was slipping away from him, he could feel it.

He had to keep fighting.

If Michael were here, he’d yell at him to keep fighting.

But _GOD_ , he was so tired…


	6. Let It Win

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: A talk is had, an example is shown, a plan is sprung, and a revelation is made.

Michael was once again getting agitated, if only because it had now been almost twenty-four hours since Gavin had been taken. In that time, the situation just seemed to get worse and worse. Everyone was on edge, worried, and nervous. His own foolish choice to sneak away had set them back by nearly a whole day, and they _knew_ it. The silence surrounding Geoff, Ryan, Jack, and himself as they waited around the front of the bulletin board was tense and uncomfortable.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He had to talk to _someone_.

“S-So… Ryan, how’s your hand?” Michael blurted out, shocking the man out of a state of deep thought.

“Huh? Uh… it’s fine, yeah. It was nothing really, but Jack insisted on bandaging them up.” Ryan answered, holding up said hand to show Michael three fingers wrapped in clean bandages.

“If you don’t bandage injuries like that they’ll get infected, dumbass.” Jack crossed his arms and gave Ryan a stern look. Ryan, in turn, narrowed his eyes.

“I’d hardly call it a fucking injury, Jack. My bowstring snapped, it sliced up my fingers a bit. Happens all the time.”

“Yeah, maybe to _Gavin_ , but not to _you_. That’s not normal for you, man! You were distracted, and denying it isn’t going to fucking help!”

“Uh…” Michael tried to interrupt, but was silenced when he saw Geoff silently motion to him to leave them be. For his part, he looked highly interested in the brewing argument.

“I told you to fucking drop it, Jack! I don’t need you to take care of me!” Ryan snapped, rounding on Jack with a fierce glare.

“Well, you sure as hell don’t take care of yourself!” Jack uncrossed his arms and grabbed Ryan’s wrist, lifting up his hand and indicating his bandaged fingers.

“I’m fine on my own, okay? You’re not my fucking _mother_!” Ryan pulled his wrist out of Jack’s grip, wincing in pain as he strained the injury further.

“No, I’m _not_ , Ryan! I’m your p…!” Jack paused, a flash of panic crossing his face. Ryan gave him a strange, searching look, and they stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, Jack remembered himself and cleared his throat, averting his eyes. “F-Friend. I’m your friend.” Jack turned around and began hurriedly walking back to his house. Ryan stood still for a moment before shaking his head and calling out.

“W-Wait, Jack! What the hell was that? Where the hell are you going?! We’re supposed to be waiting here for Ray and Gray!” Ryan jogged after Jack, leaving Michael and Geoff staring after them in mild incredulity.

“For fuck’s sake…” Geoff sighed, forehead in palm. The first words he’d uttered all morning since Ray had told them to wait here. “Michael, can I talk to you over here for a moment while those two sort out their weird… tension… thing?”

“Sure…” Michael murmured, moving closer and leaning against the bulletin board beside his boss. There was a short pause before Geoff spoke again.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better. Calmer, actually. I’m thinking more clearly. And… I’m so fucking sorry, Geoff.” Michael leaned his head back against the bulletin board, looking up. His eyes were beginning to sting. “I cost us so much time. Gavin’s in more danger now than he was yesterday. I’m such a fucking idiot, I can’t believe…”

“Hey.” Geoff interrupted, batting at Michael’s shoulder with a loose fist. “None of that. You did something fucking stupid, but that’s the end of it. Don’t dwell on it.”

“Geoff…” Michael protested, turning to look at him.

“I said to you that we were all worried about Gavin.” Geoff continued, ignoring him. “But that’s not entirely true. _We_ are worried about Gavin. _You_ are fucking _distraught_ about Gavin. Yesterday, it made you unreasonable, unstable. And that’s why we locked you in Kung Fu House.”

“I… that’s  not…” Michael stammered. Geoff chuckled and shook his head.

“He loves you too, you know. We’ve talked about it before.” He said nonchalantly, sliding down the wall to sit on the grass. Michael stared at him. “Don’t give me that look. I swear, Ray and I are the only people in this fucking City who have their fucking shit together…”

“… We’re… We’re still talking about Gavin, right?” Michael asked, after his brain activity had flat-lined for a moment.

“Yes, Michael, we’re still talking about Gavin.” Geoff frowned slightly. Michael pressed his back against the wall and slid down to join him on the ground. “Maybe you haven’t quite realized it yet, but the reason it hurts so much is because you fucking _care_ so much.”

“I… I don’t…” Michael buried his head in his arms for a moment, breathing deeply. He felt lightheaded, all of a sudden. “Why are you telling me this, Geoff?” he asked weakly, his voice muffled.

“Because I need your fucking resolve, Michael.” Geoff said seriously, leaning forward. “You need to understand what’s at stake for you here. Not just your teammate’s life, not just your friend’s life. Someone you love, who loves you, is in danger, and you need to be ready to do whatever it takes to get them back. And that means no more idiotic stunts. You keep a clear head, and you work with us, not against us.”

Michael fell silent, contemplating. His friendship with Gavin… it was beyond special. It was one of the most important things in the world to him, next to being an Achievement Hunter. He closed his eyes and thought back. Exploring the overworld with Gavin during the day. Spelunking with Gavin late into the night. Laughing at Gavin’s stupidity over and over again. Gavin’s weird little sounds of protest. Gavin’s accent whenever he said Michael’s name. Gavin’s wide smile when he wanted to show Michael something he’d accomplished. Gavin’s eyes shining whenever he got excited. Gavin jumping in front of Michael to save him, and being dragged away from him, just out of his fucking reach…

“Fuck…” Michael snapped, burying his face further into his arms. He could feel the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. He willed them not to fall. “Geoff I… I just want him back. I just need him safe. Please tell me we’re bringing him back safe…” he choked out, beginning to shake. He felt an arm around his shoulders and he turned, burying his face into Geoff’s chest. He felt like a fucking kid, but right now he couldn’t find the energy to care.

“Michael, Gavin’s a fighter, okay? He won’t go down easy, if at all. He’ll hold out, and once Gray is done explaining things to us, we’ll get him back safe as quickly as humanly possible. You have my fucking word.” Geoff answered gravely.

They sat there like that for a while, in amiable silence, until Michael calmed down. Then they started chatting about various things until Ryan and Jack returned, suspiciously keeping about a foot of distance between them.

“What the fuck took you guys so long?” Geoff asked, raising an eyebrow. Ryan raised his injured hand way too quickly.

“N-New bandages!” He blurted out, maybe a little louder than he had intended. Michael crossed his arms.

“Yeah the, uh, cuts reopened from the strain so I had to rebandage them.” Jack said coolly, giving Ryan a look.

“And so you were gone for this long… bandaging his three fingers?” Michael asked skeptically.

“Haha, I guess I didn’t make it easy for him…” Ryan laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Geoff pursed his lips and examined Ryan closely.

“Hey, genius, your fly is down.” He observed casually.

“ _What_? Really?!” Ryan practically squeaked, his face turning pale as he looked. Geoff cracked a smile.

“Nah, not really. But now I’m wondering what kind of first aid would require you to unzip your pants. Jack?”

“… You’re an asshole.” Jack said through grit teeth. Michael didn’t even bother hiding his snickering.

 “Oh my _god_ …” Ryan groaned and buried his face in his hands. “I can’t believe I fucking _fell for that_ …”

 “Yes, I am an asshole. But you love me, and I’m your boss so you’ve got to put up with me anyway.” Geoff laughed. “Congratulations, you two.”

“That is _it_. After we rescue Gavin, I’m quitting the Hunters and moving to a Mushroom Island. I’ll take Edgar with me, he’d probably like to meet a nice Mooshroom.” Ryan grumbled, shaking his head. Even Jack had to laugh at that, earning him a hard swipe from an annoyed Ryan.

It was Michael who saw Ray and his double approaching. He was going to call out to them, but stopped when something seemed off to him. Ray looked upset, and seemed to be pleading with Gray about something. Gray just kept shaking his head and answering quietly, before noticing the group by the bulletin board and indicating them to Ray.

“Hello, everyone. I’m sorry about being useless yesterday.” Gray said quietly, floating forward. Ray hung back, sulking and holding something in his hands.

“You were far from useless, Gray. What happened yesterday was outside of your control.” Geoff reassured him as he stood, reaching out a hand to help Michael up as well. When Michael did stand, he looked at the ground.

“I’m sorry I was an idiot, Gray.” He said. Gray smiled and floated a little closer to Michael, patting him on the shoulder. Predictably, his hand would have gone through if he hadn’t been mimicking the motion.

“I don’t blame you, Michael. You were upset.” Gray took a deep breath and turned around.

 “Now then. There’s one last thing I need to show you all before you go back to the Nether.”

“Is it… the weakness of Shadows?” Ryan inquired. Gray smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes. This is the only way I know to harm us.” He turned to Ray, who was still sullenly looking away from the group.

“You don’t have to do this.” Ray mumbled. Gray floated towards him and put a hand up to his cheek, turning his head to face him.

“Yes I do, and you know it.”

“Why can’t you just _tell_ them?” Ray asked, exasperated. Gray looked him dead in the eye.

“Because they need to see it done or they won’t be able to do it properly.” He scolded. Ray shook his head slowly.

“… I don’t want to watch.”

“You _have_ to watch, Ray. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be alright. I’m… I’m used to the feeling.” Gray rolled up his sleeves, then held out his hand expectantly. Ray winced, still shaking his head, but handed Gray the unlit torch in he was holding.

Michael’s eyes flickered to the other three present Hunters to see their reaction to this… behavior… from the two. They all looked very confused, though Geoff was betraying a hint of fond amusement in his expression.

“Light it, please.” Gray requested, holding the torch out to Ray. Ray hesitated for a moment before pulling out a flint and steel and striking it on the torch. The coal at the end of the stick began to burn red hot in the flames. “Thank you. As you all know, this is a torch. At the end of this torch is the one thing that makes Shadows vulnerable: fire.” Gray swallowed, and then, before Michael or any of the others could react, pressed the burning coal to the skin of his opposite forearm. Terrifyingly, it didn’t pass through him, but instead actually began to burn.

“Whoa, whoa, hey! What the fuck are you doing?!” Michael began to move forward, but Ray put up a hand to indicate he should stop.

“I-I’m… I’m alright! Please don’t… ugh… please don’t interrupt!” Gray yelled, shaking his head violently. He dropped the torch, hands shaking, and Ray quickly scooped it up and put out the flames. “Wh-When a shadow… comes into contact with fire… they have a certain reaction to it. It takes a few seconds… for the pain to sink in…” Gray dropped heavily to the ground, no longer able to float. His legs buckled under him and he ended up on his knees, clutching at his arm and whimpering quietly. Michael saw Ray twitch, wanting to help him up, but he’d obviously been instructed beforehand to leave him.

“I-I don’t…” Geoff stammered, his face draining of color. Michael was sure his own expression was just as horrified. He didn’t blame Ray for not wanting to watch this…

But that was when he noticed.

Slowly, the burn mark from the torch grew darker, and redder. As it did, something changed about the skin around it. Spreading out from the burn, Michael could no longer see through Gray’s skin. He was turning as solid as any of them.

“The burn… causes us to become corporeal. For a few seconds… about ten… we can’t use our abilities.” Gray ground out, taking a huge gulp of air. “For me that means… I can’t heal. For them it means… no smoke.”

“They can’t become smoke, so they can’t reform their bodies during that time.” Ryan chimed in helpfully. He looked a bit green around the gills from watching Gray’s pain, though.

“E-Exactly. The reaction I’m having is… very mild, because the flame was small, and not held to my skin for very long… But for the others, any kind of flame will cause an extreme reaction…!” Gray suddenly convulsed, doubling over and pressing his head to the ground, groaning. Michael could see his body begin to change back to its normal translucence. “T-Ten… seconds…”

“… There is something else that does this to them.” Ray continued in Gray’s stead, kneeling down and putting a hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles. “And that would be lava. Apparently, the reaction is even worse than with fire, and lasts longer. And for the other ones, the ones that aren’t like Gray, it does something very different. It… forces the smoke out of them. I don’t really understand it myself, but it is definitely the better option.”

“That’s our best bet, then.” Michael said thoughtfully. “Using lava would pretty much assure us a win against any of the Shadows as long as we aim right.”

“You’re right, but we don’t have time to go mining for lava, and chances are the second we enter the Nether we won’t exactly have time to be filling buckets.” Geoff said briskly, shaking his head. “We need to be ready to leave within the next hour. Any ideas?”

“I have a couple buckets of it in reserve at my place.” Ryan said. At any other time, Michael would have asked him why the fuck that was, but right now it was practically a godsend.

“Great, go get them. Jack, you come with me. We’re going to gather some materials and make as many torches as possible. Michael, Ray, you stay here and take care of Gray. Michael, report to me if Gray tells you anything else.” Geoff bit the inside of his cheek, as if thinking of something, but seemed to have shaken the thought in less than a second. “Okay, let’s go!”

Once Ryan, Jack, and Geoff had all left to get to work, Michael turned back to Ray and Gray. Gray was sitting up, looking paler than he usually was but otherwise none the worse for wear. Ray, on the other hand, looked extremely agitated.

“Are you okay?” he asked, gently grabbing Gray’s arm and examining it.

“I’m fine, Ray.” Gray answered, smiling.

“Has the burn started healing yet?” Ray’s eyes settled on the angry red mark on Gray’s skin.

“It will take a little longer than normal injuries. It’s healing.”

“Christ. This is why you want to leave the Nether, isn’t it?” Michael finally asked, crouching beside the two. Gray nodded wearily.

“Fire’s always been especially bad for us, even before we went through the portal. The added reaction doesn’t increase my love for it.” Gray opened and closed his hand experimentally, which apparently caused him some pain if his deep frown was any indication. “Another reason why I love the overworld so much. Fire can be controlled.”

“After we’ve got Gavin back, you’re fucking staying up here, I hope you realize.” Ray said tightly, still intently examining Gray’s arm. Gray smiled impishly and nudged him with his shoulder.

“I don’t know Ray, you’ve got some pretty scary creatures up here. The cow living in Ryan’s glass basement gives me the creeps.”

Michael snorted, but cleared his throat to hide his laughter when Ray pouted at him.

“Don’t encourage his discovery of sarcasm, Michael.” He said with mock seriousness, cracking a smile before he even reached the end of his sentence.

An agreeable quiet descended on the three as they watched the burn slowly fade away on Gray’s skin. Finally, Michael sighed and shook his head.

“Gavin better be fucking fighting.” He murmured. Ray smiled gently and shoved at Michael’s shoulder.

“Hey, man, this is Gavin we’re talking about. He may be spacey as fuck, but he’s also _stubborn_ as fuck. There’s no way he’ll break.”

“Michael, Gavin’s strong, he’ll definitely hold out for us.” Gray assured him.

Michael hummed noncommittally and stared at the ground. He couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling in his gut, the sudden sickness that had washed over him.

But he couldn’t let it win either, so he forcefully pushed those thoughts aside.

Gavin had to be fighting. He had to be fine.

Michael wouldn’t be able to take it if he wasn’t.

———————————————————————————————————

…

**Oh dear oh dear.**

**What is it?**

**It appears one of our Points of View has simply vanished.**

**Vanished? Which one has vanished?**

**The pretty one.**

**… You will have to be more specific.**

**The one with the strange manner of speaking.**

**Ah, yes, the one called ‘Gavin’. Gavin is gone? Gone where?**

**Simply disappeared into thin air.**

**Oh dear oh dear.**

**That is what I said.**

**What do we do now? The reader is reading our thoughts.**

**I suppose we must find it a new Point of View.**

**It is far too late! We cannot do that!**

**I don’t see why not. Otherwise it will just be listening to us blather on.**

**I suppose you are right…**

**Fear not, reader, we will find you a suitable Point of View in a moment.**

**This will be a shorter section than it is used to, will it not?**

**It will have to grin and bear it, I am afraid.**

**Quite right. Extenuating circumstances.**

**Indeed.**

**But… what of Gavin? Will it not worry about where Gavin has gone?**

**Stories must progress regardless of such things. It will simply have to read on.**

**Right again.**

**I believe I have found a suitable replacement.**

**Yes, that will suffice.**

**We may yet meet again, dear reader. Continue, if you please.**

He rose from the ground, breathing heavily and trembling slightly, supporting himself against the wall. It was a strange feeling, this warmth. He’d never felt it before. Pulses, a thudding in his chest. He smoothed a hand over the spot and closed his eyes. So many sensations. His body tingled with them. He raised his hand in front of his face and examined it. He felt skin, bone, and flesh, flushed from the heat. Structure inside. He wondered what it felt like to bleed now. He chose not to test it just yet.

There was a pail of water against the wall. He knelt down and pulled it towards him, looking into his reflection in the rippling surface. Lifting up a finger, he ran it over his features. Eyelids, nose, cheekbones, chin. This was his face. This was his body.

He had won.

“I’m Gavin Free.” Gavin whispered to no one, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across his face.

“The _only_ Gavin Free.”


	7. Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: On one side, nerves are steeled, and on the other, an inner conflict brews.

The mood around Achievement City was growing heavier and heavier with each passing minute. Ryan had retrieved three buckets of lava from a chest in his house, set them down beside Michael, Ray, and Gray, and gone to help Jack and Geoff gather supplies. As they stockpiled torches, potions, and food, no one spoke. Geoff attempted to crack a joke or two at first, but when laughter was stilted and awkward he had given up.

Michael knew what was going on.

Everyone was afraid.

Despite all they’d learned, despite the the risk to Gavin’s life, despite Geoff’s promise, despite Ryan and Jack’s resolved issues, despite Ray’s resolution, despite Gray’s sacrifices, and despite Michael’s still-jumbled feelings, they were all terrified of what came next.

Ryan’s words to him yesterday came to mind.

_“The second we step back onto that side we are all targets to be overshadowed. Do you understand? **You can’t help Gavin if that happens.** ”_

The words skittered through Michael’s brain, leaving tracks, unable to be ignored. One wrong step and not only would Gavin be lost, so would he. So would any of them.

So would all of them.

All of the Achievement Hunters were standing around the supplies, now. No one made the move to pack any of it away. Instead, they all stared, stony-faced, at the stacks.

“… Well. We’re as ready as we’re going to be.” Geoff announced, clapping his hands together. Normally he would be smiling wide to instill his underlings with confidence, but his smile now was uneasy.

“This was as many torches as we could make, given the time. It should be enough. _More_ than enough.” Ryan nodded in agreement. He looked dazed, unfocused, like he was trying very hard not to let his nerves get to him. Jack leaned over slightly and brushed his hand against Ryan’s, in solidarity, to help calm him. Ryan’s shoulders relaxed slightly and he gave Jack a small, grateful smile.

“What potions do we have?” Ray asked, staring resolutely at the stacks.

“Just what was lying around. Gavin and I didn’t have the foresight to put a potion stand and such in Achievement City for general use, so it’s basically just stuff from our private stores.” Geoff said quickly, kneeling down and sifting through the potions at hand.  “So no invisibility or anything, but we’ve got a dickload of regenerating potions, just in case. And… one fire resistance potion.” Geoff looked pointedly at Gray, whose eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“You’re not thinking…”

“Take it before we go through. I don’t know how much it will help you, but you’re the one here who is most vulnerable to fire. They’ll use that against you, even if it’s their weakness too.” Geoff said sternly, handing the bottle to Gray. He hesitated, pulling his hand back.

“I can’t take that. We don’t know if it will even help me, and I’d be taking possible protection from everybody who can actually _fight_ …”

“Gray, there’s only one bottle. We’re used to getting fireballs and lava thrown at us all the time. _We_ aren’t especially vulnerable to it. _You_ , on the other hand, could get yourself fucking killed if you don’t have some kind of protection.” Ray was almost copying Geoff’s stern tone, but there was hardly-concealed distress coating his words. “Drink the fucking potion, or I’m locking you in my shitty house and you’re staying here.” Gray smiled and nodded in response.

“Okay. I’ll take it. Thank you.” Gray said, taking the bottle from Geoff. “And Ray? I appreciate your rare display of maturity, but please stop making that face. You’ll make me cry.”

“I’m not making a face!” Ray spluttered, crossing his arms. “And I’m not being super-serious or anything…”

“You’re absolutely right. You’re just being a brat like usual.” Gray laughed quietly.

“And _you’re_ just getting nastier and nastier! You’ve been spending too much time around these assholes…”  
The tension was breaking, bit by bit, through jokes and touches, and lectures and looks, but of course one island of anxiety remained.

“Michael.”

Michael looked up. He’d been near catatonic while observing the activity around him, he suddenly realized. Geoff had woken him by quietly saying his name, moving away from the other Hunters and grabbing his shoulder, steering them to stand a bit away from the rest.

“How do you feel now?” Geoff asked, eyes boring into his. Michael swallowed; he could feel himself trembling, unnoticeable to anyone who wasn’t touching him.

“Confused. Nervous. Fucking terrified, actually.” Michael said, shaking his head. “I thought for sure I’d be calm when it came down to it. But I’m really fucking not, Geoff. I might throw up.”

“Try to miss my shoes if you do that, buddy.” Geoff said wryly, giving Michael’s shoulder a light shake. “We’re all nervous, Michael, but you need to focus. Remember why we’re doing this. Why _you_ are doing this.”

“… To rescue Gavin. We’re getting Gavin back safe.” Michael sucked in a breath, trying to calm himself. “And then we’ll talk. But first, he’s got to come home.”

“Exactly.” Geoff hummed. Seeing Michael’s face was still contorted with worry, he frowned. “Okay, what else is bothering you?”

“… I can’t slip up. I can’t make a mistake. None of us can. We can’t afford to mess this up!” Michael said, running a hand over his face. The pressure was getting to him more than he’d realized.

“Then we fucking _won’t_.” Geoff grabbed both his shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. “Michael, everything’s going to be fine. You know Gavin, he’s a stubborn little shit.  He’ll be fighting, no matter what situation he’s got himself into over there. He’ll fight with everything he’s got, in any way he can. And so we’ll fight with everything we’ve got, in every way we can. We’ll meet him halfway and blow the fucking Shadows to hell. Though I guess, considering they’re technically _in_ hell… oblivion? You get my point.”

Michael nodded, hope suddenly washing over him where a second ago a crippling despair had settled. As Geoff turned back to the rest of the Hunters to give the order to pack all the supplies and head to the portal, Michael’s mind whirred with delirious thought.

That’s right, he _knew_ Gavin. Gavin, who was a horrible loser and a horrible winner. Gavin, who was a pragmatic, cheating son of a bitch in every fucking contest. Gavin, who was actually an idiot savant but seldom let on. No matter what, Gavin was fighting. He was fighting to get back home.

And now it was Michael’s turn to get off his ass and fight for him, too.

Michael picked up his diamond sword.

He was ready.

———————————————————-

“Gavvy, you did it! I can’t believe it!” Michael giggled, practically pouncing on Gavin. Gavin stumbled backward, still not used to the new weight his body carried. He was more than a little annoyed at the manhandling. The odd sensation of being touched and truly feeling it was… unsettling, to say the least. Not to mention hard to ignore.

“Careful, you idiot. I’m barely used to fucking standing, you prodding me everywhere isn’t bloody helMMMFF…” Gavin’s grumbling was silenced by Michael’s lips being pressed against his, and for a moment he was seeing in flashes of color and feeling surges of something in his chest that made his eyes water. He immediately pushed the other man away. “Don’t bloody _do_ that!”

“Sorry, Gavvy, you’re just so _warm_ now.” Michael murmured, somewhat awestruck. His fingers were skirting the hem of Gavin’s shirt now, dragging and catching against slightly exposed skin. “I just really want to touch you…” Michael grinned mischievously. Gavin shivered. The feel of Michael’s hands, cold, dead, and dry against his warm living skin, was not pleasant. He couldn’t imagine how he’d ever found it to be. Even the taste left in his mouth from their short lip contact was threatening to make him wretch.

“Stop. Touching. Me.” Gavin ground out, grabbing Michael’s wrists and roughly pulling his hands away. Michael frowned petulantly.

“You’re still no fun…”

“What, did you think I’d become an idiot just because I took _this_ idiot’s body? Not a chance.” Gavin snapped, shoving Michael’s shoulder back. Michael’s response was to give him that ridiculous fucking pout, the one that always made Gavin do what he wanted…

But not anymore.

_He’s not Michael anymore. Not my Michael. He’s “Other”Michael now._

That’s right. He was the real Gavin now. That meant that he deserved better than a pale imitation of what he wanted. _He_ was better than the rest of the Shadow Hunters. _He_ figured out how to become real. _He_ deserved reality. That was his prize.

“But _Gavin_ …” Other Michael whined. Gavin glared at him.

“Why don’t you get Geoff, hm? Let him know that I’ve succeeded and all that.”

Other Michael’s face instantly lit up with glee, and he began giggling like some idiotic schoolgirl. Gavin fought the urge to roll his eyes. He wondered if this asshole would mellow out once he became real, too.

“Yeah, good idea! I’ll be right back!” he tittered, and in a blink he had vanished. Gavin put his hand up to rub at his temple. He was getting a massive headache. It was probably from Other Michael’s stupid, loud voice. Geoff… no, _Other_ Geoff… would at least be pleased that he’d succeeded. But if he wasn’t… what then?

_If he so much as touches me again, I’ll hurt him back. I did what he bloody wanted, and if that’s not good enough? To hell with him, and to hell with the rest._

Gavin was startled by his own thought. Being real was making him bolder, it seemed. He’d never once dared to go against Other Geoff’s orders. Before they’d gone through the portal, the man had always taken care of them. Gavin had trusted him. Other Michael had trusted him even more. To distraction, actually, Gavin noted wryly. He’d felt practically invisible next to fucking _Geoff_ , in Michael’s eyes. And he, being the doting idiot that he was toward Other Michael, had simply followed along with whatever he wanted. And whatever Michael wanted, was actually whatever _Geoff_ wanted. Come to think of it, had he ever done something Geoff told him to do because he’d _wanted_ to do it? Gavin utterly despised him, he’d realized in the time since becoming real. And now that he was really thinking about it, he doubted he’d ever thought much of his grandiose plots either…

Well. None of that mattered now. Besides, there were too many precious things he could lose if he disobeyed. Hell, he’d have ended up like _Ray_ if he’d tried.

_Poor, silly Ray… he was always so jealous of what we could do. But he’s closer to being real than any of the others are. A ghost, rather than a shadow._

Gavin hadn’t _liked_ running the experiments on Ray. True, he hadn’t felt much of anything before, but he could remember something like pity settling in his gut whenever he’d forced himself into Ray’s mind and body. It was for the greater good, is what he was told. Geoff assured him that Ray would heal, and Ray had always healed, so Gavin had thought no more of it. Sometimes Ray wouldn’t look at him after he was done experimenting, after screaming and screaming through the whole thing. Other times, he just stared at him, after not making a sound the whole time. The last time Gavin had experimented on him, the time he’d nearly cracked the code, Ray had stared at the wall and murmured something.

_“Your theories are wrong, you know. You’ll never be him. You’ll never be either of them.”_

Gavin felt anger rise, boiling hot and stinging sharp, in his chest.

Ray had been the wrong one. Gavin was real now. He was himself. He was a person. He was finally _human_.

And soon, they all would be.

And he’d finally get the life he’d always wanted.

“Gavin.” He turned at the call, just in time to see Other Geoff and the rest materialize behind him. “Good work, buddy! I knew a little encouragement would get the ball rolling!” Other Geoff clapped his hands together, a grin masking the threat that still lingered in his eyes.

“Mm. Yeah, I guess.” Gavin agreed unenthusiastically, coolly surveying the Shadow Hunters. They all were getting that same look Other Michael had when he’d realized Gavin’s success. They wanted to touch, and to feel, and to take. Gavin wouldn’t let them. It was _his_ body. If they wanted the beat in their chests and the warmth under their skin, they’d have to find their fucking _own_.

A thick, cloying feeling overtook Gavin, and he was almost startled by its suddenness. What would he call it? Jealousy? Greed? Didn’t matter, it was sickening. He swallowed it away like so much bile.

“So how’d you do it?” Other Jack asked, a crazed look passing through his eyes. “Did you kill him first? Make him bleed a little?”

“ _Jack_.” Other Ryan scolded affectionately. “I already told you that he couldn’t do that!”

“I still don’t see why not… I guess what’s done is done, though.” Jack grumbled.

“How _did_ you do it, Gavin?” Other Geoff asked, smile in place and eyes narrowed.

“Yeah, yeah, tell us! We’ll need to know for when the old Hunters come through the portal to ‘rescue’ you!” Other Michael practically squealed.

For a moment, Gavin felt very odd. His mind went blank, and the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

_Maybe I don’t want to tell them how to do it. Maybe they don’t even fucking deserve it…_

“… Gavin?” Other Ryan’s smiled faltered. He looked so concerned. “Are you feeling sick…?”

Gavin shook his head. He was having such silly thoughts lately. Of course he’d tell them. The Shadow Hunters were his friends, the only friends he’d ever had. They would all become real, soon, and then they’d cross to the overworld together to start their new lives. Things would be different, better. Gavin would be… happy. Just like they’d planned it, just like Geoff had said. They were born to overshadow the old Hunters.

“I’m fine.” Gavin said, pushing those foreign thoughts from his mind. “Don’t worry. When the Hunters come through that portal, we’ll be _ready_.”


	8. The Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: From one Point of View, everything begins to go horribly wrong.

Dark Achievement City was silent as the fucking grave.

It was so quiet Michael could hear the faint hum of the portal. The city looked empty and deserted, just as it had yesterday when Michael, Gavin, and Ray were exploring it, cracking jokes and completely unaware of what was going to happen to them. It gave Michael the same bad feeling.

No, Michael thought, as he absently ran a hand over the obsidian of the Nether portal and stepped down from it. This felt worse than that. Because at least when he’d been here yesterday, there had been mobs wandering in and out of the city, and the sound of fire crackling on the netherrack. Right now there was nothing. No mobs. No fire. Just silence.

Michael was glad he had found his resolve before going through the portal, because this was… unnerving, to say the least.

“If even _one_ of you assholes _begins_ the phrase ‘it’s quiet… too quiet’, I will shove you back into the portal with a lit torch up your ass.” Geoff remarked quietly. Michael almost burst into nervous laughter. Ray looked indignant at the order.

“Aw, but…”

“ _Flame-first_.” Geoff insisted, pulling out a torch threateningly. Ray shut his mouth. “Good. Everyone have your torches ready in your offhand.  We’re going to search in pairs. Michael, with me. We’re checking the monolith. Jack and Ryan, search the far end of the city. Ray, go with Gray, cover the houses near the center and stay close to the portal. All of you, be extremely careful when entering houses. Stay with your partner and keep your comms on.”

Everyone nodded, and fanned out according to Geoff’s instruction. Michael patted the side of his head to be sure his comm was tightly secured to his ear. A fleeting thought passed through his mind: would things have gone this badly if Gavin was in possession of his comm? Why had they ever snuck off, why had they ever left their comms behind…?

Michael shook his head. He was being stupid. He couldn’t afford to dwell on hypotheticals. They were here, _now_ , and they were going to find Gavin safe and sound.

“… Geoff.” Michael whispered as they carefully made their way to the replica of Geoff’s house. “Why haven’t they ambushed us yet? What are they waiting for?”

“I don’t know. And I’d rather not find out. As soon as we find Gavin, we’re taking off.” Geoff muttered. “But who knows where they’re fucking holding him in this city…!”

Geoff and Michael immediately stopped in their tracks, mere yards from the door, as it swung violently open to reveal… Gavin.

He looked terrified, bruised, and exhausted. There was dried blood on his clothes, which had been somehow ripped in several places. Gavin didn’t even look in front of him as he stumbled out of the door, so eager was he to keep moving forward. Michael instinctively held out his arms and caught him, stopping him from landing facefirst on the netherrack.

“… Gavin?” He asked quietly

“Oh _god_ , no! I thought for sure you’d gone, I was so close! N-not again, don’t do it again, _please_ …” Gavin cowered, beginning to tremble, when he seemed to realize something. He slowly looked up, eyes traveling over Michael’s face, and Geoff’s next. He looked awestruck. “Michael…? Geoff…?” Gavin’s eyes went wide.

“Gavin, it’s us. We came to get you. How the hell did you get out of…?” Geoff began, but was cut off by a soft laugh from Gavin.

“Michael… You’re _my_ Michael!” a smile broke across Gavin’s face, and he surged upward, taking Michael’s face in hand and catching his lips with his own. Michael grunted in surprise, grabbing Gavin’s shoulders and holding him at arm’s length. “S-Sorry Michael, I just… I’ve wanted to do that for a long time and I… sorry…” Gavin wouldn’t look up to meet his eyes. Michael smiled and brought Gavin in for a hug, holding him tightly. He felt Gavin begin to shake with sobs.

“It’s alright, Gav. I’ve got you. We’re going home.”

“Guys, we found him. Everybody head back to the portal _immediately_.” Geoff said hurriedly into his comm, before looking up at Michael and Gavin. “I’m sorry to break up the lovey-dovey reunion stuff, guys, but we’ve got no time. We need to get him out of here before they show up.”

“R-Right.” Michael nodded. He’d been so happy to see Gavin he’d nearly forgotten: they weren’t out of this yet. “Gavin, can you walk alright?”

“Yeah… Yeah I can walk.”

“Good. We’re getting you out of here, come on.” Michael grabbed his hand and pulled, urging him forward, and the three made their way around the back of Gray’s old house to get back to the portal.

“Gavin! Are you okay?!” Jack exclaimed, as he and Ryan quickly returned. Gavin smiled weakly.

“I’m fine, Jack, I… ugh…” Gavin suddenly frowned and sunk to his knees.

“Gavin!” Michael knelt beside him, worry written all over his face. “What’s wrong, man? Hey, look at me, look at me…” Michael patted Gavin’s cheeks, praying that he wasn’t falling unconscious when they were this close to escaping. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ray and Gray had joined the group and immediately looked at each other uneasily.

“Sorry, Michael, I only need a moment… the things they… it took so much out of me. I’m not exactly feeling…” Gavin chuckled breathlessly and then groaned in pain, bending forward slightly and holding his head. “My head feels like it’s about to split open…”

“Hang in there Gavin, we’ve just got to get you through this portal and then…!” Michael began, before being cut off.

“Michael… I think you should get away from him.” Ray interrupted, moving forward cautiously. He was still holding his lit torch.

“Why, Ray? Gavin’s….”

“That’s not Gavin, Michael! He’s stalling for time!” Gray snapped. Michael looked at him, disbelievingly, shaking his head.

“N-No, it’s Gavin, it’s got to be! He…”

“Michael, we don’t know that for sure. Until we do, you shouldn’t let him that close to you.” Ray said stonily, continuing to move forward. Michael set his jaw and made a move to get up, when Gavin’s hand shot out and grabbed his shirt, holding him in place.

“G-Gav…?”

“Wh-What’s he going to do, Michael?” Gavin looked frantic, his knuckles going white as he gripped Michael’s shirt ever tighter.

“Gav, it’s… it’s nothing, he’s just going to check to make sure that you’re… you.” Michael mumbled, trying to pull Gavin’s hand off. It wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t let him hurt me, Michael! He’s… he’s letting his Shadow control him!” Gavin drew his knees up and started trembling. “You can’t trust them, Michael, you can’t trust any of them! Ray’s probably primed to be overshadowed _right now_!”

“Gavin…” Michael said exasperatedly, tugging at Gavin’s hand to no avail. The other Hunters were now looking incredibly perturbed, and Geoff made a move to block Ray’s advance.

“Um, Ray, maybe this isn’t the best time to…”

“You don’t think it’s too fucking convenient that he ran straight into Michael’s arms not even a _minute_ after we got here? Geoff, you _know_ something’s not right with this.” Gray said. Ray settled for just staring at Geoff expectantly. Geoff worked his jaw for a moment in thought before stepping aside.

“Sorry, Gavin, we need to be sure.” Geoff said quietly. Gavin shook his head and looked at Michael once more.

“Who are you going to believe, Michael? That bloody _traitor_?” he pulled Michael down by his shirt, so that their lips were almost touching again and Michael felt his next words more than he heard them. “Or your boy…?”

“G-Gavin, I…” Michael’s mind went hazy for a second. Why _should_ he believe Gray? Gray was one of the Shadows, at the end of the day. Ray was obviously heavily under his influence. Gavin was his boy, Gavin was his best friend, of course he should protect him from…

No.

That wasn’t right.

Something wasn’t right.

Michael shook his head. What the fuck was wrong with him…?

“Michael. Come on man, you know I don’t want to hurt Gavin, but we need to be sure.” Ray said apologetically. Michael looked at him for a moment, before nodding.

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.” Michael sighed and looked back to Gavin. “I’m sorry, Gav.” He said, bracing himself for Gavin to panic again.

What he didn’t expect was for him to start fucking _laughing_.

“That’s how it’s going to be, then?” Gavin said, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “Oh, _Michael_ , I thought that you would at least have my back…”

“…. Oh god!” Gray rushed forward and grabbed Ray by the shoulder, dragging him back from Gavin and Michael.

“Gray, what the hell…?!” he exclaimed, shrugging his hand off. Gavin kept laughing.

“Well, this was fun, Hunters, but I think I’ve had just about enough.” He crooned, standing and cocking his head to the side. He dragged Michael up with him, and Michael noted that he was feeling significantly less in control of his movement than he should be.

Shit.

“You’re not G…!” he began, being cut off when Gavin’s grip slid from his shirt to his neck.

“Oh, but I _am_ , Michael! I am!” he cackled, his eyes disturbed and gleaming with something horrible. “I’m finally me! And soon, all of you will be too!”

“Like hell we will!” Geoff brandished his torch and his sword, advancing…

Only to be stopped by a sword held across his own throat.

“Now, don’t make me damage my new body, _Geoff_.” Geoff’s doppelganger appeared behind him, smirking. “Drop the torch.”

“Fuck _that_!” Geoff hissed, ducking out of the sword’s range and spinning around, jabbing the torch toward Other Geoff’s stomach and swinging his own weapon. The clash of the two swords made a ringing sound that was immediately followed by a cry of pain.

That didn’t come from either of them.

“ _Ray!_ ” Gray screamed, as Ray fell to his knees, holding his abdomen, his hand becoming covered in blood. Another Ryan, standing behind the downed Ray, scoffed and examined his bloody sword.

“Damn, he’s pretty quick. I missed.” He said coolly, before turning to the real Ryan and pointing the sword at him. “You. You’re mine.” He smiled placidly, moving forward. Jack moved in front of Ryan protectively.

“Over my dead body.” He growled.

“Ooh. Bad choice of words, there.” Other Jack materialized beside Other Ryan, chuckling darkly. “Don’t tempt me.”

“D-Damn it…” Michael choked out, clawing at Gavin… Other Gavin’s…. hand at his throat. “Get the fuck out of him, you son of a _bitch_!” he snapped. Other Gavin smiled at him and tightened his hold on his throat.

“Aw, what’s wrong, Michael? Don’t like seeing your friends in danger?” he pouted mockingly. “Feeling a little… weak? Not at full strength? I wonder why that is… Care to explain, _my_ little Michael?”

“Hehe. You have me to thank for that.” Michael froze as he heard that voice again. _His_ voice.

Other Michael appeared right behind him, his lips to his ear.

“I told you, Michael, didn’t I? I have your boy. But now he’s _mine_.” Other Michael giggled, grabbing Michael’s face in his hand and jerking his head to the side. Michael could see, now, that black smoke was curling out from Other Michael’s lips and encircling his own head. He’d been fucking _breathing_ the stuff for who knows how long. “And now you’ll be mine too. Try to enjoy it. I know _I_ will.”

Michael thrashed, but he could feel that he was slowly losing control of his limbs. His struggling was pointless.

His fears had all come to fruition in one fell swoop.

They’d made a horrible mistake. The one they couldn’t afford to make.

And now… they were going to lose.


	9. The Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: From the Other Point of View, the threads unravel, and an important piece returns to the board.

Gavin felt like he had hit some sort of sensory _ceiling_.

From the second the Hunters set foot in the Nether, Gavin had been practically vibrating in excitement. Some bright, bubbling feeling had taken up residence in first his stomach, then his throat, tickling him and rendering him unable to stop smiling. But he _had_ to stop smiling, because otherwise none of this would work.

He’d listened through Other Geoff’s door, for them to approach. Thirty steps away. Twenty-five steps away. Fifteen steps. Ten steps.

Then he’d burst through the door, staggering forward, right into Michael’s arms.

“Gavin…?”

He’d said his name. It made a violent shiver go down Gavin’s spine.  Michael thought he was his Gavin… no, he _was_ his Gavin now. And this was _his_ Michael.

_Mine._

He hadn’t been able to control himself. He’d barely been directing his movements at all, actually, when he’d crashed their lips together. Michael was so _warm_ and he tasted sweet and smoky and Gavin wanted everything…

But he was pulled away, and the heavy, blinding mist that had settled over his mind suddenly cleared. He had to keep his head on straight. No more… emotional… outbursts. That wasn’t him. He was smarter than this.

And he had a part to play.

It had been just too _easy_. The Hunters were all so eager for their Gavin to be safe and sound that they didn’t even notice something was wrong. Stalling for the other Shadow Hunters to get into position was simple; he’d just had to act weak and unable to move, and everyone was instantly worried for him. Michael wouldn’t stop touching him, of course, which was a bit of a problem since every brush of skin he got from him sent sparks flying behind his eyes, and his headache to worsen. But overall, everything had been going smoothly…

Until Ray had showed up, that is.

The fucking traitor had his Hunter wrapped around his little finger. It was _disgusting_. And worse, it made it all too easy for the original Ray to doubt him. And he’d had _fire_ with him to dispel that doubt. Gavin was genuinely afraid, and an unpleasant tightening in his stomach almost caused him to outwardly hiss as the flame drew closer. But he controlled himself.

He pleaded with Michael, who was becoming more and more pliable as Other Michael exerted his influence on him, unseen. He tried to get him to protect him, to hold them off for just a bit longer, but it hadn’t been enough. Michael wasn’t all his yet. He had two choices: reveal himself then and there, or suffer slow, painful revelation by the flames.

So now he stood, hand tight around Michael’s throat, watching the other Shadows begin their fights against the Hunters. The bubbling feeling was back, tickling at all of his senses, as was his grin, wider than ever, and if he’d felt alive before? He felt even more so now.

“Ray? Ray, come on, you’ve got to keep your eyes open! Keep your eyes on me, Ray, come on, keep them on me!” Gavin was snapped back to the moment at the sound of Ray’s… no, Other Ray’s… voice. Gavin watched, holding back his laughter, as Other Ray kneeled over his overworld counterpart, who was looking very pale and still holding his side.

“S-Sorry, buddy, feeling a little… dizzy… I can’t… haha, wow, _that’s_ some blood…” Ray gasped, laughing breathlessly and taking his hand from his side and turning it over in front of his face. The blood began to run down his wrist, and Gavin watched its progress, unconsciously licking his lips. “Gray, don’t worry it… doesn’t hurt, I just… I need to sleep for a bit…”

“Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, you _idiot_ , you stay awake, you stay with me!” Other Ray screamed, pressing his hands down on Ray’s wound. Gavin actually _did_ laugh then. The little bitch was _crying_.

“Gray!” Geoff, the original one, called out, as he continued swinging his sword and torch at Other Geoff. He was only succeeding in holding off the inevitable, however, as his double was deftly dodging every single swing. “Get Ray away from the fighting!”

“What?! I can’t leave you all here, you’ll…!” Gray shook his head, looking up at Geoff in shock.

“Just fucking go! We’ll be fine! If you don’t find a way to stop the bleeding, though, _he_ won’t.” Geoff ordered, blocking Other Geoff’s slice at his shoulder with a swift parry.

In that second, Other Ray wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, accidentally smearing Ray’s blood across his face in the process, and nodded. As he protectively leaned over Ray’s prone form, both of them suddenly vanished, leaving no trace but a small pool of blood on the netherrack.

“Ha! Let them run. You know how fucking weak our Ray is. We can finish them both off later.” Other Jack laughed, as he forwent using his sword and caught Ryan off guard, kicking him to the ground. Ryan flailed, falling heavily onto his back, his torch flying from his offhand and rolling a few inches from his immediate reach.

“Shit!” He hissed, making a grab for it. Other Jack’s boot stomped heavily on his wrist, and he yelped in pain, falling just short of his goal.

“Ryan, sorry, I think I broke your new wrist.” Other Jack said coolly, twisting his foot and smiling as Ryan screamed.

“You don’t sound very sorry, Jack.” Other Ryan pouted as he jumped out of the path of Jack’s torch, which had been thrust toward his face. “I’m doing my best not to harm _your_ body…”

“Get away from him!” Jack shouted. He used the window of time he’d gained from getting Other Ryan out of the way to attack his own doppelganger. “Don’t fucking _touch_ him!” He growled, as their swords met.

“Ryan, does it _look_ like I care if my body gets a little banged up?” Other Jack rolled his eyes as his sword rattled with the force being exerted on it.

“Oh.” Other Ryan blinked owlishly, before a grin broke across his face. “Okay, good! This will be _much_ easier, then.” He chirped, kicking Jack in the back of the leg. A snapping sound could be heard as Jack cried out and fell, his sword clattering to the ground. “Stay down, please. It’ll only hurt more if you move.”

“… _Fuck you_!” Jack spat, taking a final swing at him with his torch. Other Ryan smoothly dodged the attack and stepped down on Jack’s neck, pressing him to the ground beside Ryan.

“What the _fuck_ did I just say, hm?” he asked quietly, his grin widening and a truly terrifying look appearing on his face. “Should I break your collar bone to punish you, or one of your arms…?”

“Jack…!” Geoff lost focus on his fight and turned in worry at Jack’s pained shout, when his wrist got caught by a tendril of black smoke that had unraveled itself from a cut on Other Geoff’s wrist. “Get the _fuck_ off me!” he shouted, pulling frantically to dislodge the smoke.

“Not a chance, Geoffrey.” Other Geoff hummed, as more smoke poured forth and wrapped itself around all of Geoff’s limbs and even his neck, shaking his weapons from his grip and holding him in place. “Hold still, hm?” Other Geoff chuckled and grabbed Geoff’s face, smoke beginning to unfurl from his mouth.

Gavin started laughing again. This was wonderful. They really _were_ going to win.  
“Ugh… get out of my… head you… sonofabitch…” he heard Michael slur out, and snapped his head around to stare at him. Michael’s hands were slipping from the one Gavin had at his neck. His eyes looked dull and unfocused, his head lolled back, unable to stay upright, and the rising and falling of his chest was slowing down as he breathed in more and more of the black smoke. Other Michael giggled as he held Michael’s head in place, lips nearly pressed to his.

“Aw, what’s wrong Michael? Is being disgustingly rude a little harder when your control is slipping away? Where’s ‘ _Mogar_ ’, hm?” Other Michael mocked.

Gavin could feel Michael’s pulse beneath his fingers, and the image of Ray’s hand dripping blood flashed through his mind. The skin beneath his hand felt so soft…

_I bet it would be so easy just to… just to rip out his throat and…_

Gavin twitched, startled by his own thought. What the _fuck_? He needed Michael alive, he wasn’t about to kill him so he could have _just a taste, I just need a taste, oh please, oh god, it would feel so **good**_ …

Gavin shook his head, pressing a hand to his temple. His headache was getting worse. He must be delirious from the excitement or something. He was experiencing some kind of sensory overload. He could smell too much, hear too much, _feel_ too much, and it was all spiraling out of his control.

He took a deep breath.

_Good, again._

He took another.

_There we go. Back to normal._

Right. He was completely calm. His mind was clear. He surveyed what had only a few minutes ago been a battlefield. Geoff had already started to break; though he was still twitching and struggling against the binding at his limbs, his thrashings were getting weaker. Jack and Ryan were finally being pinned to the ground by their counterparts.

“Jack, I…!” As Ryan tried to speak, Other Ryan blew some of the black smoke into his mouth, making him choke on whatever words he’d been trying to say.

“Stop that. You’ll make me cry if you start with the heartfelt goodbyes.” Other Ryan tutted. “You’ve talked enough already, I think.”

 “Ryan, don’t let him into your head, okay? Don’t let him… UGH!” Jack was cut off by Other Jack stepping on his wounded leg.

“Oops.” Other Jack laughed as smoke began to unfold itself from his lips. “Don’t mean to cut off your last words to your partner here, but I’m gonna need you to _shut the fuck up_.”

Jack kicked at his Shadow one last time before the smoke started pouring into him and he could do nothing but spasm.

Gavin grinned, narrowing his eyes.

_Hey, Gavin, are you still in there somewhere, wasting away? Look.  You’ve lost. I told you I’d make you watch. I want you to see everything, Gavin. Are you watching?_

**_Oh, I’m watching alright. And I think it’s about bloody time I put an end to our little game._ **

“… WHAT?!” Gavin exclaimed, and suddenly a sharp pain coursed through his head. He dropped Michael, clutching at his head instead, raking his nails over it.

**_You heard me, you son of a bitch. What made you think I ever gave you full control over MY body, hm?_ **

“You… you’re gone! You’re gone, I practically _killed_ you, you’re not supposed to…!” Gavin growled, staggering to his knees, nails digging into his scalp. The pain was becoming sharper and sharper, the breaks between each twinge becoming shorter and shorter.

**_Oh, please. Don’t insult me. It’s like you said, isn’t it? I’m a little smarter than I let on._ **

“N-No…!” The pain was spreading from Gavin’s head to the rest of his body, and he clutched at his arms, clawing at them, trying to scratch the pain away.

**_Yes. Sure, you may have been able to override my will a few times, since I couldn’t exactly do anything but SUGGEST. But do you think you actually forced yourself into my body? I LET you in, you stupid minge. And now, I’m bloody kicking you out._ **

“YOU CAN’T! IT’S MINE! IT’S MY FUCKING BODY AND YOU CAN’T HAVE IT!” Gavin screamed, thrashing. It was too much. The pain was too much, the voices were too much, he’d hit the limit of what he could take. He needed everything to stop, he needed to touch Michael again,  he needed to kiss him one more time, he needed to _taste his blood and feel his flesh between his teeth and…_

_NO._

_I can’t lose!_

_I won’t lose…!_

**_You can, and you will._ **

——————————————————————————————————————————

Michael could feel the last of himself slipping away. He’d tried to fight, he’d tried so hard, but he couldn’t fight anymore. He was just too tired.

He wondered if Ray was okay. He remembered something had happened to him, but he couldn’t really recall what.

For that matter, he wondered if the other Hunters were okay, too. He’d stopped being able to see a while ago, so he’d only been able to hear muffled sounds of fighting.

All he knew was that they were losing.

And even that thought was falling away from him.

_Gavin, I’m sorry…_ he managed, with his last bit of independent thought. _I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry…_

But as his last dregs of will slipped from between his fingers, he felt a sudden clarity and suddenly woke up. He was falling. There was no one holding him up anymore. Where had the Other Michael and… the Other Gavin… gone…?

He got his breath knocked out of him when he was caught, and he looked up. His stomach dropped as he saw it was Gavin… no, Other Gavin… wasn’t it…?

“Alright there, Michael?” He asked breezily. Michael recognized that tone of voice. That wasn’t Gavin’s double, that was…

“… Gavin?” he rasped, eyes going wide. Gavin smiled down at him, pressing his forehead to Michael’s.

“Hey, boy.” He whispered. “Did you miss me?” Michael laughed, pushing back against Gavin.

“You… You _asshole_! What took you so long…?” he snapped, without any venom. He could feel tears start to fall, but he couldn’t find it in him to care.

“Hey, it isn’t exactly easy shoving a bloody _demon_ out of your head without any help! Sorry my timing was a little off!” Gavin scolded jokingly, before his face became serious. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I can stand.” Michael said, exhaling shakily. Gavin stood, holding out a hand to help him up, and he took it, getting to his feet and swaying unsteadily.

“Good. Because I think… this is going to get a lot worse before it gets any better.” Gavin said, nodding his head at something in front of them. Michael looked, and his breath caught in his throat.

The first thing he noticed was that all the Shadows had simply stilled. They weren’t even trying to overshadow the other Hunters, they were all just staring at the scene in front of them, completely still and completely silent.

That scene was Other Michael lying in a pool of black blood, and Other Gavin holding his face and sobbing.

“Michael, come on, you can’t do this to me, not now! We… we were so close…!” Other Gavin pleaded, pressing his lips against Other Michael’s. “Oh god, it’s not the same, I can’t feel… I can’t remember how to feel it, I…!”  
“Haha… G-Gavvy, it’s okay, it’s okay… I felt it for a second, what it’s like to be real…” Other Michael shushed, petting the back of Gavin’s head with one hand. “It was exactly like I thought it was going to be… I could feel _everything_ …” Michael could see now that his counterpart had an angry red burn mark right on his throat, and looked down at Gavin’s hands to see a burning torch in one and a sword in the other. The sword was covered in slick, black blood, which was slowly dripping to the netherrack. Gavin gave him a weak smile.

“Michael don’t die, we were supposed to do this together, I was doing this for _you_!” Other Gavin shouted. “It was… it was for you…”

“I know, Gavvy, I know. But I think… I’ve got to leave now. I feel like I left a long time ago, actually… I…!” Other Michael choked on his next words. His head fell to the side, black blood trickling from his lips, and he looked straight at Michael as his life drained from his eyes.

Michael could feel himself blanch in horror. Even if it wasn’t actually him, it was more than a little disturbing to watch something with his face die. He felt Gavin grab his arm.

“Get out another sword and a torch, Michael.” He said, his jaw set. “Here it comes.”

“What do you…?!” Michael asked as he removed a spare sword and torch from his pack, when suddenly he heard a low, unnatural growling sound. He looked back to where the Shadows were gathered.

“ _You_ …” Other Gavin growled, in a voice that no longer sounded quite so Gavin-like. His head snapped up to face them, and Michael jumped back.

“Holy _fuck_.” He gasped, holding up his sword.

Other Gavin was missing almost half of his fucking face. It was like a porcelain doll that had a piece broken off of it, leaving only a hole where the right side had been. Except, instead of that emptiness, there was that fucking black smoke, and where his eye should have been a glowing yellow orb nestled within it.

“ _You did this! You’ll fucking pay for this!_ ” Other Gavin hissed, his head cocking to the side with a sharp crack as he pointed at Gavin. “ _Give me back my body! Give me back my MICHAEL!_ ”

“Your ‘Michael’ is _dead_ , you insane bastard!” Gavin shouted, steely-eyed as he pointed his bloody sword right back at his double. “I killed him! And I’ll do the same to the rest of you _monsters_ , and if I can’t…. I’ll throw you all back into the fucking Void you spawned from!”

At the mention of the Void, Other Gavin stilled, anger crossing his face.

Then he threw his head back and screamed.

The sound was ear-splitting and horrible, worse than anything Michael had ever heard. He covered his ears, sure they would start bleeding if he didn’t.

When the screaming stopped, Other Gavin brought his head back down and stared at them again. Instead of the blank white expanse that had been in his remaining eye socket, an eye with black sclera and a yellow center had appeared. Black blood was dripping like tears down his face, and he began to laugh, louder and louder, his voice changing, the look on his face growing more and more twisted.

“ _I’M GAVIN FREE.”_ He shouted. His voice was Gavin’s, but it was overlayed with another voice, deep, otherworldly, and demonic, that made a chill run down Michael’s neck. “ _THE ONLY GAVIN FREE. AND I WILL TAKE WHAT IS MINE!_ ”


	10. Unexpected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Surprises. Also, another piece returns to the board…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> … So I’ve had a hellish few weeks and that is why this chapter is so fucking late. I apologize to everyone, thank you so much for sticking with me! I hope you enjoy! ^^

**…**

**Well.**

**_Well_.**

**That was exciting.**

**Completely unexpected, even.**

**Yes. For Gavin to hide himself completely even from _us_ …**

**Very powerful. Very special.**

**Yes, special.**

**So, where do we go from here?**

**We simply allow the story to run its course.**

**Which Points of View shall we be using?**

**I say… we allow the story to choose.**

**Excellent plan. It won’t be long now before…**

**Shush, not while it still reads our thoughts.**

**Right, of course. Apologies.**

**Continue reading, dear reader.**

**We will be waiting…**

**———-**

Michael considered Gavin a total moron. He was stubborn, he was air-headed, he was obnoxious, and sometimes he said things that made a lot more sense in his head than out of it. But Michael would be damned if he didn’t admit he was grateful to have him back.

Even if their tearful reunion shit was currently being cut short by his snarling, rabid look-alike.

“Michael, to your left!”

“ _Christ_!” Michael barely had time to roll out of the way as Gavin’s Shadow charged him. He was switching between visible and invisible so quickly it looked like he was flickering in and out of existence and he was fucking _fast_ , faster than Michael could react if this kept up. “Gavin, what the fuck is he doing? Why is he flickering like that?!” Michael called as he rose and backed up, the flame of his torch held out toward Other Gavin. Other Gavin growled, and snapped his head around to stare at him, the gaping hole in the side of his head still unnerving as shit.

“My best guess? Losing control.” Gavin responded quietly, appearing at Michael’s shoulder so suddenly it made him jump. “We have to move.”

Michael didn’t protest as Gavin grabbed his arm and they ran toward the replica of Michael’s house. When Other Gavin gave chase, Gavin spun around and threw his torch, hitting his double square in the eye and causing him to stop his pursuit and scream in rage.

Gavin shoved Michael around to the back of the house, where a small recess in the netherrack hid them from sight.

“Fuck, Gavin, I think we’ve jumped out of the frying pan here…” Michael said in hushed tones.

 “Would you rather he was still in my head, Michael? Things weren’t going so well for you when that was the case, if you didn’t bloody notice!” Gavin snapped, but then tensed and held his finger to his lips, listening carefully and gripping his sword.

“ _YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER_.” Other Gavin intoned, his words slurring together, the other voice growing in volume. “ _I WILL FIND YOU. YOU BELONG TO ME._ ”

“Not if you can’t catch us, you bastard…” Gavin growled under his breath, bristling at Other Gavin’s words. Michael stared at him.

Gavin’s Shadow had looked fucking _terrifying_ , wielding a sword of his own and encircled by grasping black smoke, leaking from his wrists, his neck, his eyes, gathering behind him to form thick, menacing tendrils. The longer Michael had looked at him, the less human-like he seemed; his skin had looked like paper, so thin and ashen that he could swear he saw the swirling of smoke underneath it.

But Gavin wasn’t even a _little_ shaken by his appearance. If anything the only reaction Michael could gauge from him was sheer disgust.

“Jesus, Gavin, it looked like he was… slipping out of his _skin_ or something…” Michael shuddered, attempting to distract Gavin from whatever thoughts were causing that dark look on his face.

“That would be because it is.” Gavin answered shortly. He took out another torch and shifted its weight in his hand. “We’re going to need more than a small flame now that he’s like this. Did you lot bring any lava, by any chance?”

“Yes, but we only had three buckets, so they were distributed to the people we thought could use them the best.”

“Let me guess, those people were…”

“Geoff, Ray, and Gray.”

“So not you. Also, Gray…?”

“Ghost Ray. Ray came up with the name.” Michael explained quietly. “Gray’s been helping us figure out how to go about rescuing you. Obviously the plan went a bit south, but…”

“That’s probably because that bastard took my body for a bit. I may be an airhead sometimes, but I know our strengths and weaknesses as a group, and he _was_ inside my head.” There was an awkward pause, during which Gavin seemed to be avoiding Michael’s eyes.

“… Are you… okay, Gavin? You seem a bit…” Michael reached for him tentatively, but Gavin flinched away, holding up a hand to stop Michael’s advance.

“That’s not really important right now, Michael.” Gavin said briskly.

“Gavin, it _is_ important, you’re acting…”  
“ _Michael_.” Gavin snapped, their gazes finally meeting, but Michael couldn’t read what was going on behind Gavin’s eyes even with direct eye contact. “We can talk about this later, when we’ve won. For right now, let’s go over the situation. My Shadow is running amok with me and you as its targets. It’s becoming more and more unstable over time, which fortunately means it’s not half as smart…”

“And you know that because…?”  
“You don’t think I shared headspace with that abomination and didn’t do a little bit of digging, do you? You underestimate me, Michael.” Gavin gave a ghost of a cheeky grin, restoring a little of Michael’s confidence. “Now, where was I? Oh right, not half as smart, but it’ll also get a lot more dangerous.”

“I’ve noticed. He’s faster than before.”

“Right, there’s that. It’s also got no reservations whatsoever. If it catches me, it _will_ kill me and take my body. I saw that when I was in its head. And if it catches _you_ , it…” Gavin went pale and trailed off, causing Michael no small amount of alarm.

“Gavin…?” Michael asked tentatively. “What happens if he…?”  
“HE WON’T.” Gavin burst out, a little louder than he intended. He covered his mouth and listened for his Shadow, but he didn’t sound close. “I-I mean… that’s not going to happen.” Michael gave him a long look before grabbing his hand and squeezing reassuringly.

“Okay, Gavin.” He said, smiling. “So. How are we going to kick your double’s ass _and_ stop the other Shadows from taking the rest of the Hunters’ bodies?”

“That’s the thing, Michael.” Gavin murmured, squeezing Michael’s hand in turn. “I have no idea.”

“… No plan, huh?” Michael asked, grinning.

“Nope.”

“W…Well, good. We work better when we’re spontaneous.” Michael laughed quietly, before a violent chill suddenly ripped through his body. “Gavin!?”

“Michael, what is it?! Your face just turned white as a bloody ghost!”

“I think he’s…” Michael was cut off when a hand closed around his throat from behind and lips were pressed against his ear.

“ _FOUND YOU._ ”

—————————————————-

Ryan wouldn’t be bragging if he were to say that he had one of the strongest minds out of the Hunters.

Michael hadn’t been entirely off the mark about his analytical skills. If any Hunter could evaluate a bad situation and find a way out of it as quickly as possible, it was him. Gavin was also pretty good in that regard, but because he was, well, _Gavin_ , oftentimes it fell to Ryan to pick up the slack.

“AGH!” Other Ryan screamed, suddenly drawing back from him. Ryan gagged as the smoke forcefully left his body. “Why isn’t this fucking working?!”

“Ha… having a little trouble…?” Ryan would have sneered if he weren’t coughing up his lungs.

“You…” Other Ryan narrowed his eyes and grabbed Ryan’s collar, dragging him toward the nearby wall of Ray’s house and throwing him against it, holding him in place with an arm pressed against his chest. “Why can’t I get into your mind?!”

“I don’t know, why can’t you? I mean, if you’re supposed to be the ‘better’ Ryan, you should be able to do at least this much.” Ryan smiled serenely, causing Other Ryan to grab his face and vehemently smash his head back against the wall.

“You think you’re _so fucking smart_ , don’t you Ryan? You think you’ve got me beat, that you’re five steps ahead of me?” Other Ryan snarled, grabbing Ryan’s injured wrist and squeezing. Ryan winced, but refused to cry out. He could feel a warm trickle down the back of his neck.

“Ha, o-of course I do. You’re supposed to be me, you should know _that_ much.” Ryan laughed, ignoring the pain and quickly shifting his gaze over his double’s shoulder.

He could see Jack and his Shadow from here. Jack was still fighting, Ryan could see his body convulsing in protest, but he was probably running on fumes at this point. He wouldn’t hold out much longer. Geoff was a little farther away, but from the look of it he was doing far worse. He was barely moving at all, and his head was lolling forward occasionally as if he were fighting sleep. The only good things Ryan could gather from this situation were first, that the other Shadows were so focused on their own prey they hadn’t even looked up when his own Shadow had begun his tantrum, and second, that Michael and Gavin were nowhere to be seen, though Shadow Michael’s corpse was, and as such they were probably safe. His own sword and his torch had rolled away from him when he’d been pinned down, he remembered, but from where he was standing they were maybe twenty steps away…

“Ooh, what’s this?” Other Ryan’s voice brought Ryan out of his thoughts. “Are you worried about your friends, Ryan?”

“Maybe. Aren’t you worried about your buddy’s corpse over there?” Ryan shot back. Other Ryan grimaced.

“Whatever the fuck is happening with them, it doesn’t concern me anymore. Gavin failed, Michael failed, and now they live with the consequences.” Other Ryan chuckled. “Or perhaps, in Michael’s case, die with them.”

“Tight group you have here. Really supportive, I can tell.” Ryan drawled. His Shadow narrowed his eyes and clamped his hand down hard on Ryan’s injured wrist. Ryan bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt not to scream.

“That’s right. Stand there at my mercy, bleeding and bruised, and _snark_ at me about how I’m not being a team fucking player.” He growled. “Because you’re so much better? You’re barely a member of the fucking team.”

“That’s not…

“Bull. Shit.” Other Ryan barked in laughter. “You’re _weak_ , and you’re terrified of being useless, so you hide behind your smart little words and your creepy little hobbies…”

“Shut up!”

“You’re not even strong enough to protect the one person who actually gives a fuck, Ryan.” Ryan’s Shadow continued. “And you really think you’re going to win against me? With what, one of your clever little plans?”

“You’re full of shit, Jack is fighting, he’s…!”

“He’s as good as _gone_ , Ryan, and you know it.” Other Ryan snapped. Ryan felt the blood drain from his face. “You can’t help him. You can’t help anyone. But me? I’m actually going to protect what I have left.”

Ryan went limp against his double’s hold, and Other Ryan released him and let him fall to his knees.

“I… I don’t… this can’t be happening…” he said, with a quivering voice, keeping his head down.

“You see, Ryan? You don’t deserve the life you have. So why don’t you just give me my body like a good boy, and let all that guilt and pain slide away…?” Other Ryan crouched down and grabbed Ryan’s hair, pulling his head back.

“Y-You’re right…” he said weakly, before a flash of a smirk crossed his face and he kicked Other Ryan’s feet out from under him.

“GAAH!”

“I _am_ five steps ahead of you.” Ryan quipped, quickly scrambling to his feet and making a run for his sword and torch. He was only a few steps from them when something caught his feet and he hit the ground like a stone. “OW! What the hell…?!”

“ _THAT’S IT._ ” Other Ryan hissed. Smoke was billowing from his mouth, and a long tendril of it had wrapped around Ryan’s ankle. More were coming. “I’m DONE playing nice with you, Ryan!”

“Get off of me you fucking psycho!” Ryan kicked at the smoke to no avail, as thicker and thicker ropes of it wrapped themselves around his legs and arms, dragging him back from his sword and toward his Shadow.

“Takes one to know one!” Other Ryan cackled, drawing his bloody sword and twirling it in his hand. “I wasn’t fucking joking earlier, Ryan. You’re _mine_.”

“Like fuck I am!” Ryan growled, struggling against the smoke as it held him in place at his double’s feet.

“You _are_.” Other Ryan cocked his head to the side, grinning maniacally and using the tip of his sword to tilt Ryan’s chin up. “I _will_ have my body. Even if it means I have to cut you out of it first. I’ve _DONE IT BEFORE_ , you see…” Ryan twitched at the sudden change his double’s voice had done mid-sentence, some sort of demonic overlay that chilled him to his core.

“Go ahead, then, take a fucking swing! You’re not me, and you never will be!” Ryan snapped. His double just smiled wider and raised his sword above his head.

“Wrong again, Ryan! And here I thought you were supposed to be _smart_!”

Ryan closed his eyes instinctively as his Shadow swung the sword down, but though he braced himself for the blow, no blow came. Instead, a distinct sound of sword upon sword rang in his ears, and as a warm hand pressed against his chest and shoved him back, his eyes flew open.

“Ray?!” he exclaimed. The younger man was crouched in front of him, sword clattering against Other Ryan’s as he blocked the swing that most likely would have half-lopped off Ryan’s head.

“Ryan. Glad to see you’ve been holding out.” Ray said, in an oddly flat voice. Other Ryan, still manic, screamed and pushed past Ray’s sword, aiming for his heart.

Ray blocked and deflected the thrust, and the blade lodged itself into the forearm he’d thrown up to stop it instead. Rather than crying out in pain or even looking shocked at the sword lodged _in his fucking arm_ , however, Ray just blinked and stared up at Other Ryan blankly.

 “Ray, what the fuck are you doing?! Your arm is…!” Ryan finally shouted, after Ray had not moved for far too long.

“I’m fine, Ryan.” Ray suddenly surged upward, dislodging Other Ryan’s sword from his arm with a single swipe and throwing him back.

“Did you come back to me so I could finish gutting you, Ray? That’s very sweet of you.” Other Ryan laughed as he stumbled far backward, brandishing his sword again. “Why don’t you come a little closer so we can have some fun? I’ll take the rest of your fucking arm as a souvenir.”

“No, ‘ _Ryan_ ’. I came back to you so I could fucking kill you.” Ray said coldly, holding up his injured arm and lapping at the blood that was currently dripping from the deep wound. That was when they noticed.

“… What the _fuck_ …?” Ryan exclaimed quietly, scrambling back from Ray, toward his sword.

Other Ryan’s eyes widened.

The wound… was closing.

“You…? That’s…. that’s not possible, you can’t…!” Ryan’s double was interrupted by Ray’s sword clashing against his own, the blade mere centimeters from his neck.

But Ryan could have sworn Ray had been standing in front of _him_ a split second before.

“I can.” Ray smiled icily, and Other Ryan screamed, falling to the ground and twitching, smoke pouring out unbidden from his mouth and eyes.

Ray stood over him, holding a torch in one hand and his sword in the other.

_Ten._

“How…?” Other Ryan gasped, wretching as more smoke poured from him, unable to be shaped or controlled.

“I don’t think that’s very important right now, do you?”

_Nine._

“Ha… haha… you’re still a weakling… you won’t kill me…!” Other Ryan was cut off by Ray kicking him in the stomach.

“Oh,won’t I?”

_Eight._

“You murdered my _friends_.” Ray punctuated with another kick.

_Seven._

“You took their _bodies_.”

_Six._

“You made my life a living _hell_.”

_Five._

“You made me work against the only people left who give a _fuck_ about me.”

_Four_.

“And you _took_ my most precious person away from me.”

_Three._

“So I ask you, ‘Ryan’…” Ray took his sword and pressed it against Other Ryan’s throat.

_Two._

“How can I _not_ kill you?”

“P-Please don’t… Ray…!”

_One._

“My name is GRAY.”

_Zero_.


	11. No Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some exploring by Team Lads takes a turn for the very, very bad, as something sinister is discovered in Dark Achievement City that will test and threaten all the Hunters. This Chapter: Sanities are slipping, and spots of hope appear and disappear on a whim. Oh dear oh dear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, bitches. Did you miss me? ^_^

Let it be known that Michael Jones does not panic.

He’s _Mogar_ , for fuck’s sake. The strongest warrior in the Achievement Hunters. He takes down dozens of zombies and creepers on a daily. He’s not afraid of Endermen or lava pits, or the deepest reaches of the overworld’s seemingly endless network of caverns and chasms. Gavin was the panicky one, between the two of them, and it was always Michael who needed to assure him not to be afraid.

So yeah, Michael Jones does not panic.

Usually.

But right now?

Right now his heart was damn near about to stop.

“Let. Him. Go.” Gavin said slowly standing and holding his hands out in front of him pacifyingly. Michael stood stock-still, trying to control his breathing as the hand began to stroke at his throat. He could feel the smoke binding his arms and holding his ankles in place. He wouldn’t be able to move much even if he tried, and right now he was too shocked to do even that.

“ _Why should I, Gavin_?” Other Gavin chuckled, the demonic background voice much lower now than before. Michael flinched at the cold breath that hit his ear.

“Because he’s not the one you want. You have a problem with _me_.” Gavin said, still in that even tone.  
“ _Oh, that’s right. And what was that problem again…?_ ” Other Gavin feigned confusion before his hand suddenly tightened at Michael’s throat. “ _Oh, that’s it! You TOOK MY MICHAEL AWAY FROM ME._ ”

“STOP.” Gavin shouted, taking a step forward. Other Gavin hissed, a completely alien sound that came from deep in his throat, and grabbed Michael’s hair, tugging his head to the side.

“ _DON’T COME ANY CLOSER. You know what I’ll do if you take one more step in this direction._ ” Other Gavin threatened. Gavin froze in place, glaring at his double and taking a step back. “ _I know you do. You’ve been in my head just as deeply as I was in yours._ ”

“DON’T! Don’t hurt him!” Gavin snapped back. His doppelganger only laughed quietly.

“ _And what will you give me if I don’t?_ ”

“You can have me.” Gavin said, without hesitation. “As long as you don’t hurt Michael, you can take this body. I won’t fight it.” With those words, Michael finally got his mouth to work, and the rest of his body after it.

“Don’t you fucking _dare_ , Gavin!” He yelled, thrashing against Other Gavin’s grip. “Not again! I’m not watching you get taken from me again!”

“Michael, I…” Gavin began, before he was silenced by a threatening glare from his double.  
“ _Sssh, Michael, I need you to calm down for me…_ ” Other Gavin pulled sharply at Michael’s hair, tilting his head back onto his shoulder. “ _There we go…_ ” Michael narrowed his eyes.

“Fuck you! Get your disgusting, rotten-smelling smoke the _fuck_ off of me!”

“ _That was rude._ ” Other Gavin chuckled, slowly raking his nails over the back of Michael’s neck so hard that he hissed in pain. “ _Do you know what YOU smell like, Michael?_ ”

“… Stop it.” Gavin said quietly. Other Gavin’s response was to dig his nails into the side of Michael’s neck, making him yelp in pain.

“ _You smell like blood, Michael._ ” He murmured, dragging his nails back harshly. Michael swore at the pain, knowing for sure now that he’d broken skin. “ _Fresh blood. Should have been MY Michael’s blood…_ ”

“I already said you can have my body, damn it! What more do you _want_?!” Gavin shouted impatiently.

“ _What do I WANT?_ ” Other Gavin snarled. “ _I WANT MY MICHAEL BACK._ ”

“Yeah, too fucking bad on THAT front, buddy.” Michael muttered, earning him a snarl and a thick rope of smoke wrapped over his mouth. He could barely breathe like this, and began thrashing again.

“ _You think you can bargain for YOUR Michael’s life, when you didn’t give me a chance to bargain for mine’s?! You killed him without a second fucking thought!_ ” Other Gavin screamed. “ _You didn’t even fucking hesitate, didn’t look at his face and think… and think…_ ” Other Gavin began trembling, his grip on Michael’s neck slipping slightly.

Michael’s gaze slid over to Gavin, who was resolutely not meeting his eyes as his double spoke.

“ _You took away my only chance to be happy. And now I’m going to take yours!_ ” Other Gavin’s voiced sounded choked, and he brought his sword up to hold it at Michael’s throat.

“You can’t, and you know it.” Gavin said calmly.

Michael and Other Gavin both looked at him in confusion.

“ _I… I’ll fucking do it, Gavin! I’m going to kill him, just like you killed…_ ”

“You don’t belong here.” Gavin interrupted, tight-lipped and oddly quiet. Other Gavin tensed in shock.

 _“…What did you say?_ ”

“That’s why I didn’t hesitate to kill him. Maybe once upon a time, you all belonged here. Together. But whatever is inside that body now _doesn’t_.” Gavin continued, glaring his double down. “You’re all… _abominations_ , is what you are. Demons wearing our faces.”

Other Gavin shook his head slowly, releasing his captive to claw at his head as though he was in pain, and Michael fell forward, coughing and clutching his throat. Gavin made no move to help him up. Michael wanted to make a mental note to stop getting fucking captured like some damsel in distress, but right now he was focusing on getting the spots out of his vision.

“ _No… No, I am a SHADOW. I’m the real Gavin! This is the real me! I remember, I had a life, I had friends, I had…!_ ” Other Gavin cried out, clawing at himself, his nails digging into his skin and smoke leaking from seemingly everywhere.  
“No.” Gavin said resolutely, taking a step forward, and subtly gesturing to Michael to get up. He did so, standing beside Gavin and watching his double carefully. “You’re nothing. You’re a nobody in a flesh suit.”

“ _No! That’s not true, that… Michael, Michael please, where are you? Where are you, Michael?!_ ” Other Gavin sobbed, raking his nails so hard over his arms that the flesh was tearing, releasing more smoke. “ _I need you Michael, you made it real! You made it… H-How long have we been…?! Why can’t I remember…?_ ”

“… Gavin?” Michael whispered. Gavin shook his head and bit the inside of his cheek.

“A sham. All of it. Monsters trying to imitate someone else’s memories…” Gavin murmured. Other Gavin froze and suddenly screamed.

“ ** _YOU’RE_** _THE MONSTER! YOU TOOK **EVERYTHING** FROM ME!_ ” Other Gavin roared, the unnatural voice returning in full force as he ripped savagely at the paper-thin skin on his arms. “ _LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO ME! LOOK AT IT! **LOOK AT IT!**_ ”

“Gavin.” Michael grabbed Gavin’s arm with urgency, feeling sick to his stomach as he watched Other Gavin tear at himself from the outside, snarling like an animal. “Gavin, we have to leave. We have to leave _now_.” He looked at Gavin, only to see that he had his terrified eyes fixed on what was in front of him, and looked pale as death.

“… We should never have bloody come here.” Gavin said quietly, after a long pause, swallowing thickly and closing his eyes. “God, I…”

“Gavin!” Michael snapped, shaking Gavin’s shoulder. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re thinking, or what the fuck he’s doing to himself, but while he’s doing it we need to try to find the others or we don’t stand a fucking chance!” Gavin finally turned his head to face Michael and stared at him.

“Michael… I’m sorry.” His eyes were unfocused, and Michael entertained the fleeting, disturbing thought that Gavin wasn’t actually talking to him, but… “I’m so sorry…”

“Gavin, we’re okay. It’s okay. I’m here.” Michael said, slowly and clearly, sliding his hand up to Gavin’s cheek. “But we’ve got to _go_.” Gavin seemed to wake up from whatever haze had taken hold of his mind, and shook his head.

“R-Right.” Gavin affirmed. He glanced uneasily back at his double, before looking back to Michael. “ _Quickly_.”

With that, Michael and Gavin took off running toward the cliffs behind the reconstruction of Gavin’s house, leaving Other Gavin ripping himself apart and screaming for Gavin to look at his handiwork.

————————————————————————-

As Gray knelt to pick up Other Ryan’s bloody sword, Ryan stared at him in stunned silence.

“… Just like I thought. It’s fucking enchanted.” He said flatly, shaking his head and throwing the sword violently to the ground beside Other Ryan’s corpse. “That cheating son of a bitch.” The pooling of black blood beneath his double’s head unsettled Ryan, though that probably had a lot to do with looking at his own lifeless face.

More to the point, he was clearly looking at _Ray_. Or at the very least, Ray’s body. His shirt was still covered in his own blood, hell, his hands were even still crusted with the stuff, but he didn’t appear to be in any pain whatsoever.

And, reaching the main point now, the person in Ray’s body right now… wasn’t him.  
And that could have several very, very bad connotations.

Ryan swallowed thickly before opening his mouth to speak.

“Gray…?”

“Yes, Ryan?”

“Where is Ray?”

“… Gone.” Gray answered. His voice was unsettlingly flat.

“What? What does that even mean?! Is he…?”

“Now is _not_ the time for this conversation.” Gray said tightly.

“B-But, Gray, wait a second, you can’t just…”  
“We have other things to worry about.” Gray insisted, producing a bucket of lava and holding it steady in one hand as he glared over Ryan’s shoulder. “Do you still have potions with you?”

“Y-Yeah…” Ryan said dumbly as he felt for them, finding and pulling one out.

“Drink one quickly and get ready to fight.” Gray said, setting his jaw. Ryan obeyed absently, completely bewildered even as he felt the pain in his wrist ebb away and his body mended itself rapidly.

“Why do I need to…”

“… Ryan…?” Ryan heard a small voice say his name behind him, and quickly turned. His stomach dropped when he saw that it wasn’t the voice of the one he had been hoping for.

Jack’s Shadow was staring at them from a few paces away, face even paler than normal.  He was still crouched over Jack, who wasn’t moving, but the flow of smoke from him had completely stopped as he surveyed the scene in front of him. For this, at least, Ryan was grateful. “Ryan…?!” Other Jack stood up and moved forward, toward Other Ryan’s corpse. Ryan and Gray stepped away from the body defensively, moving around to the back of the slowly approaching figure. For his part, Other Jack didn’t even seem to see them, taking a knee beside his fallen companion.

“Gray…” Ryan whispered, but Gray shook his head and narrowed his eyes, holding up a finger to silence him.

“Ryan, why aren’t you talking to me?” Other Jack asked quietly, a weak smile on his face, grabbing Other Ryan’s shoulders and shaking. “That’s all you’re fucking good for, is talking, you know. If you can’t fucking do that, you’re… useless…” Other Jack’s grip tightened on Other Ryan’s shoulders, and he slammed him against the ground, moving so that his knees were on either side of his stomach. “Wake up, you stupid bastard! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, _WAKE THE FUCK UP!_ ” Other Jack roared, slamming Other Ryan against the ground over and over until he just broke down, pressing his forehead to his partner’s and letting his hands slide from his shoulders to the pool of slick black blood below them. “You… idiot…”

Ryan looked on with something resembling pity, before a low, menacing hiss reminded him that Jack’s double was _not_ someone to be pitied. He held his sword in front of him defensively as Other Jack slowly stood, swaying unsteadily, and turned to face them.

“ _So… you do this, Ray…?_ ” he asked, not lifting his gaze to meet them. Gray scowled.

“I did.” He answered sharply. “What are you going to do about it?”

“ _Oh…_ ” a twisted smile spread across Other Jack’s face, and he finally raised his eyes. Ryan felt the blood drain from his face when he saw the absence of the Shadow’s normal, blank eyes, instead replaced by black sclera and yellow irises. “ _I’m not going to do a fucking thing. He was a weakling, and he deserved whatever the fuck he got._ ” Other Jack said breezily, picking up Other Ryan’s sword.

“… What?” Gray asked, clearly shocked at this reaction. Other Jack chuckled.

“ _Gray, come on, you know me. I’m not a sentimental guy. That’s… you._ ” Other Jack gasped in an exaggerated manner, a false look of concern on his face. “ _Oh, that’s right! Your poor, poor Hunter got stabbed through the gut, didn’t he? How are you holding up?_ ”

“I’m fine. Ray is fine.” Gray said through grit teeth.

“ _Is he? That’s weird, because it looks to me like you’ve overshadowed him, which would make him…_ ” Other Jack laughed as Gray tensed. “ _Just as well. Your hunter was a total weakling if Ryan was able to take him down that easily._ ”

“It wasn’t a fair fucking fight! If it had been, Ryan would’ve been dead from the get-go!” Gray snapped. Ryan looked at him in alarm, noting that his knuckles had gone white around both his sword and the lava bucket, which he now held up in front of him. “But now it fucking is. You’re going to die.”

“Aw, little Ray thinks he can fight me!” Other Jack unsheathed his own sword, and twirled both of his weapons in his hands. “C’mere, then. I’ll slice you right out of your darling Hunter’s walking corpse.”

Those words were all Gray needed for his temper to take over, and he charged Other Jack without warning, so fast that it took a moment for Ryan to realize he wasn’t beside him anymore.

“Gray, what the fuck, wait!” Ryan called out, running after him.

When Gray reached Other Jack, he took a wild swing at his neck which was easily blocked by the other’s sword. And, predictably, the other blade made a move to stab Gray through. Luckily, Ryan got there in time and parried the thrust.

“Are you trying to get you _and_ Ray killed, Gray?!” he huffed. Gray, not listening, made a move to throw a bit of the lava from his bucket into other Jack’s face. The double hissed, immediately turning to smoke and drawing back before the drop of lava could hit him.

“Fucking _die_!” Gray screamed, advancing toward the smoke, which was retreating out of sight behind the duplicate of Ray’s house. Ryan grabbed his arm and pulled him back, almost throwing him to the ground in the process.

“Calm the fuck down, Gray!” he snapped, holding him in place. “He’s baiting you!”

“I… What was…?” some of the tension seemed to leave Gray’s shoulders and some odd, bloodthirsty glint quickly left his eyes. “Right… right, okay, I’m calm, I’m…” He trailed off shakily, sighing.

“Good! Now, here’s what’s going to happen. You stop being a fucking asshole for a couple minutes, and we’re going to take him down together.” Ryan growled. Gray nodded thickly.

“Sorry, Ryan, I don’t know what just… I’m good. Let’s do this.” Gray said quietly. Ryan honestly felt horrible for snapping at him at all, but he shook it off. It was a completely justified reaction. Probably.

“Okay, we’re both going to attack at the same time; you cover me, and I’ll cover you. We’ll overwhelm him, and when he’s about to run for it again I’ll distract him. Then I’ll _need_ you to hit him with the lava. Then he’s as good as gone.” Ryan said, in a sure voice he didn’t think he’d had in him. Gray nodded at each stage of the plan, his expression mild but that strange look returning to his face for just a moment before disappearing again.  
“Okay. So… how do we get him to come back out?”  Gray asked tentatively, eyes darting to the replica of Ray’s house and back again. “He knows I have the one thing that could kill him, so…”

“… I’ve got an idea.” Ryan said. He stood up tall and took a deep breath, before calling out in a loud voice. “Not the sentimental guy, huh? You seemed pretty sentimental when you were screaming over his fucking corpse!”

He was answered by silence.

“I mean, he was a weakling anyway, right? It’s probably better this way!” Ryan continued, eyes darting around the landscape. “I get my body, he gets gutted, so we all win! Well… _I_ win, at least.” Ryan laughed loudly, falsely, and he could see Gray giving him a stunned look.

“Ryan, what the hell are you…”

“Shut up, stay still, and wait.” Ryan hissed near soundlessly, before going on. “I get it, Jack, I do. You’re hiding because you couldn’t protect him against the weakest member of your own fucking group. I mean, how embarrassing is _that_ , right? You just don’t want anyone to know you’re a weak little _bitch_ …”

“ _SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH_.” An unearthly, grating voice shouted. A billow of black smoke unfurled from nothing and reformed, and Ryan abruptly felt one of Other Jack’s swords pressed against his throat. He had to fight every instinct he had to not take off running or start shaking in fear as tendrils of smoke wound around his arms and legs. Just as Ryan theorized, Other Jack had targeted him. Of fucking _course_ all the Shadows had shorter fuses than Michael Jones on a bad day…

Focus, Haywood. Or your life’s forfeit.

“I won’t.” Ryan said, still laughing, his tone edging dangerously close to hysteria. “You’ve spent so much time trying to convince _me_ that I’m powerless, when really you’re the one who can’t do a damn thing…”

“ _I’ll slit your throat, you fake **bastard** …_” Other Jack hissed. Ryan felt the blade cut into his collarbone, but refused to make a sound and gave the doppelganger a lopsided, smug smirk instead.

“Aren’t _you_ the fake one?” he said snidely, letting his sword hang loosely from his hand, silently praying for Gray to make a fucking move. “Mister Tough Guy, thinking he’s the real Jack. You’re not him. You’ll never _be_ him. And you’re…!” Ryan choked as smoke wrapped around his neck and squeezed.

“ _Say one more fucking word._ ” The double snarled, the lines in face suddenly darker, like a veil of shadow had fallen over his features.

“… **Pathetic**.” Ryan gasped, glaring at Other Jack boldly. He could swear he saw a flash of yellow in his eyes before the grip on his neck tightened.

“ _I’LL SLIT YOUR FUCKING **THROAT**! THEN WE’LL SEE WHO’S PATHETIC._ ” Other Jack drew his sword back in preparation to make good on his threat. Just as the stroke was about to hit, there was the sound of blade against blade once again.

“Let’s fight fair for once, shall we?” Gray snapped, blade sliding against Other Jack’s as he kept it mere inches from Ryan’s neck.

From there, several things happened in quick succession, so fast that Ryan barely had time to register they’d happened at all.

First, just like he’d hoped, Other Jack had been so focused on him that he hadn’t even remembered Gray’s presence. So when Gray parried the blow that would’ve killed Ryan (for the second time today, might he add), he was so surprised that the grip of his smoke had loosened for a split second. In that split second, Ryan flicked his wrist to bring his sword up just in time to block the oncoming blow from Other Jack’s second sword, saving Gray’s hide in the process. Together, they’d pushed with all their strength and caused Other Jack to stumble back in a daze.

As far as gambits relying on sheer dumb luck went, Ryan was pretty sure he’d just hit the fucking mother-load.

“Two on two. I like those odds.” Ryan said haughtily. Gray nodded at him, steely-eyed and brandishing the bucket of lava in his off-hand. A dark chuckle caused them both to look up at their opponent, and Ryan’s face drained of color when he saw that black veins had sprouted from the corners of Other Jack’s eyes.

“ _If you had a fucking **LEGION** you wouldn’t stand a chance against me, you crafty bastard._” Other Jack laughed, brandishing his swords. “ _Let’s have some fun before I **EVISCERATE** the both of you!_ ”

What followed was a complicated dance of a swordfight. Gray and Ryan were forced to use only the blunt sides of their swords, rather than risk releasing more smoke with the cutting edges, and that made everything more difficult. Their advantage of surprise gone, Other Jack proved to be brutally attentive to both of them, and if it weren’t for the fact that there _were_ two of them, they’d have been dead in seconds.

But Other Jack knew exactly what they were looking for; an opening. And even though he was going berserk, he was damn good at keeping himself just out of reach for being doused in lava.

“Ryan, this isn’t _working_!” Gray snapped, countering a blow that could very well have smashed his head in. “I can’t do a damn thing like this!”

“I’m working on it!” Ryan snapped right back, ducking to avoid having his head chopped off. Again.

So far, the only thing that could distract Other Jack was the promise of a good kill, the thrill of causing pain. If they wanted to find an opening…

There was no time. Neither of them could last like this, neither of them were competent enough fighters to even _try_.

He had no choice.

“Sorry, Gray...”

Ryan grabbed Gray and pulled him into the path of an oncoming stroke, which glanced across his stomach and opened a huge wound under his ribs. Gray fell to the ground with a pained yelp, and Ryan watched Other Jack’s reaction carefully.

He looked manic, some ugly, dark look shining behind his eyes as he realized he’d landed a bloody blow. Cackling, he raised both swords  to bring them down onto Gray’s shoulders, providing just a moment of an opening.

Ryan didn’t have time to think.

He snatched the bucket of lava from Gray’s bloody, clenched hand and heaved.

It hit Other Jack head-on, catching most of his stomach and chest.

“ ** _FUCK!_** ” He hissed, eyes rolling back into his head, swords clattering to the ground.

Then he began to scream.

A steady billow of black smoke came rushing from his mouth, his black and yellow eyes drained away to blank white again. Ryan looked away; if watching his own face contorted in pain was enough to disturb him, seeing _Jack’s_ face like this made him sick to his stomach.

Above them swirled a mass of black smoke that morphed in and out of some abominable shape that was almost a creature, clawing at what might be its head and glaring down at the proceedings with yellow eyes. Meanwhile, Other Jack, though he was still upright, was still writhing and clutching at himself as though in deep, burning pain.

“ _NO NO NO NO **NO**!_ ” he screamed. “ _I’m **STRONG** , damn it! I’m stronger than any of you **FUCKERS**! I don’t need **ANYONE**! I don’t need anyone but him, he just needs to **WAKE THE FUCK UP** …!_”

“It’s _over_ , Jack.” Gray snarled, pressing his sword to Jack’s stomach. His own gaping wound had mostly closed in the interim, though it still trickled blood at the excessive movement. “You’re done.”

Other Jack suddenly stopped writhing, blinking slowly and swaying in place. It was as though his whole self had changed, his posture looser, his face more bewildered and pale. His eyes lost focus, before his gaze sharpened again and he stared straight into Gray’s.

“Ray…?” Other Jack asked in confusion, stare sliding slowly over Gray, then to the ground nearby where Other Ryan’s body lay, before coming to rest on Ryan himself. “…Oh.” He said softly.

“… J-Jack…?” Gray rasped, eyes wide, his hands taking a slight tremor. “No… I…. you’re dead. You’re…”

“Yes. I am. Should be.” Other Jack looked back to Gray and his face broke into a small, sad smile. “Do it quickly. Come on.” When Gray hesitated, staring at him in shock, Other Jack simply pushed himself forward into the blade pressed to his abdomen, impaling himself on Gray’s sword. Gray made a strangled noise of anguish as Other Jack slumped forward. “Thank you…” the doppelganger rasped. The swirling smoke creature above them began to scream; the noise was piercing and awful; Ryan had to press his hands over his ears, it was so painful. The smoke began to contort, yellow eyes narrowing as it reached for Gray in a futile attempt to stop what had happened, but as Other Jack exhaled one last time and fell limp against Gray’s shoulder, it slowly dissipated with one final, ungodly screech.

Gray silently pushed Other Jack away from him, and his body fell heavily backward, slipping smoothly off of Gray’s sword and hitting the ground beside Other Ryan. Ryan noted numbly that the blood on the sword was red.

“… Ryan, check Jack and make sure he’s okay.” Gray said softly, his voice oddly hoarse. Ryan snapped to attention and spun around, making a beeline for his unconscious partner.

“Jack!” Ryan called out in a panic, crouching beside the man and quickly checking his vital signs. He seemed to be breathing normally, and his pulse, while oddly slow, was still there. “Oh thank _god_ …” Ryan exhaled, laying his forehead on Jack’s chest and fisting the man’s shirt in his hand. His skin was cold, but it seemed to be

“I’m glad he’s alright…” Gray said quietly, smiling in relief. Ryan looked at him carefully before answering.

“So am I. I’m… I’m sorry about…” Ryan tilted his head in the direction of Other Jack’s body. Gray closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath.

“I’m not. He’s… he’s okay now. They both are.” He said, smiling in a slight, broken way.

“I’m sure they are. But Gray…” Ryan paused, unsure how to proceed. “Gray… where is Ray?” Gray frowned, averting his eyes immediately.

“I told you, he’s gone.” Gray’s voice was almost a whisper, but even Ryan could hear it break a little at the end of his sentence.

“And what does that mean, exactly?” when Gray remained silent, Ryan sighed. “Come on, Gray, you’ve got to talk to me. This looks really bad otherwise. What happened to…”

“I can’t find him, okay?!” Gray yelled, throwing his empty bucket to the ground. “I can’t find him! I-I can’t…” Gray trailed off, and just like ice, the entire persona he’d put on to fight his former friends melted away. His eyes filled with tears and he fell to his knees, covering his face. “Gr-Gray…” Ryan looked on helplessly, reaching out a hand and patting Gray’s shoulder.

“Gray, it’s going to be okay. Just… tell me what happened. We can figure this out.” Ryan said consolingly. Gray looked up, finally, wiping the tears from his eyes before more could fall.

“Okay. Okay, I can do that.” Gray took a deep, shuddering breath. Ryan sat back, keeping his hand on Jack’s arm but otherwise listening intently to what Gray had to say. “I did everything I could, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop, the potions only slowed it down. It was because of that sword, the enchanted one your Shadow was using.”

“So Ray kept bleeding out, no matter what you did.” Ryan murmured. “That must’ve been awful.” Gray smiled wryly.

“Ray wasn’t helping, cracking jokes the whole time to make me feel better. But… he was going to die, he’d lost so much blood, so I… I…” Gray coughed and mumbled something unintelligible at the end of his sentence.

“… What?” Ryan asked in mild confusion. Though the situation was serious, he felt a twinge of amusement at Gray’s timidity. “Did you just say you k…”

“I did something I shouldn’t have, clearly!” Gray snapped, his face flushing, a clear sign he didn’t want to elaborate. “But… before I knew what was happening, I was in this body and the wound was closing. I tried… I tried to find him, Ryan, I even tried to leave his body, but I don’t know how, and he’s not answering me, and…” Gray’s face contorted into another anguished expression. “Where is he, Ryan? Why won’t he answer me?”

“… Gray, I think… I-I think Ray…” Ryan began, quietly. But he couldn’t bring himself to say something like that. There were a lot of explanations for Ray’s disappearance that weren’t… that weren’t _that_ one. There had to be, because if Ryan let himself think of the alternative… he wouldn’t be getting out of here alive. None of them would. He needed to keep hoping, find Michael and Gavin, wake up Jack, and free Geoff from his Shadow before…

“Aw, you two seem to be having a tough time.” Ryan blanched and looked up to see Geoff standing over them, hands behind his back and a wide smile on his face. “Sorry, but it’s about to get a whole hell of a lot tougher. Starting… _now_.”

Geoff’s eyes flashed yellow, and before Ryan could even react, a sharp pain shot through his head and his mind was wiped clean.


End file.
